<p>I got accepted into the Honors Program at University of Texas under mechanical engineering, but I am trying to decide if I want to do MechE or ChemE. I am torn bc I want to get a PhD (probably in materials science and engineering) and I want a major that has applicability, but also interesting research. </p>
<p>MechE seems like it would be more enjoyable as a profession, but the research seems mundane and not very interesting.</p>
<p>ChemE has amazing research, but the it is a harder major and I really do not care for the processing of chemicals, but rather chemistry itself.</p>
<p>So which do you think I should do? The amount of work in each major is important bc I do not want college to revolve around work. By the time I graduate from high school I should have 34 credit hours so I should be able to reduce the amount of work required in college, but which do you think would provide the best work-life-research balance?
Any comments or suggestions is appreciated?</p>
<p>It doesn't matter what engineering major you pick, they all will require a large amount of work and force you to learn time management skills. I wouldn't say either one is going to actually require more time but I would say ChemE is more difficult it terms of subject matter. </p>
<p>Both will give you equal research opportunities but in different subjects. Honestly just major it what interests you more. ChemE and ME are completely different. Go with what you are interested in studying.</p>
<p>I've done research on quantum mechanics throughout high school so I really want to eventually do research that integrates quantum mechanics into engineering design.
I am thinking that MechE would be good bc it has alot to do with building machines, but is this necessarily true?</p>
<p>Also which engineering major do you think would be the best for my future aspirations?</p>
<p>Could anyone help, please? Someone who knows about engineering or who has pursued graduate studies in engineering. The thing is that I would absolutely love to do the research that ChemEs get to do, but I would NOT want to design chemical plants. On the other hand I think I might somewhat enjoy working as a mechanical engineering, but the research seems really boring. I am very interested in chemistry (but can't major in it bc I need the scholarships from mechanical engineering).
Right now I am resolved to majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in chemistry, and then I am planing on grad school for MatSci or something. What do you think?</p>
<p>Ask yourself what kind of skills you want. If you prefer to work with machines over chemical plants, then ME is the choice. If you're really interested in quantum mechanics, then I suggest EE or engineering physics. If you ask me, I think your plan makes sense.</p>
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for example let's say robotics. I mean robots are interesting but all I would do is design and build it, not do the wiring or any of the deeper things involved. Or look at cars, again I am the one designing it but what about the thing that actually makes it work, that is chemistry from the battery. I guess my main qualm is that mechanical engineering research involves too much of the end of something as oppossed to the heart of the matter. Basically that the "research" of mechanical engineering seems like it is too far distanced from the deeper science involved.
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<p>I don't think you're looking deep enough into what ME's do. </p>
<p>Lets take your robotics example. I myself am a CompE major. Every robot contains sensors and every sensor is part of an embedded system. The heart of embedded system is a microcontroller. As a CompE I would be responsible for programming the microcontroller and the design of the embedded system. I guess these are the "deeper" things you mention.</p>
<p>But a robot is useless unless it does something. A robot has to move. This task falls upon an ME. My point is that an engineering project relies on every part of the project. The ME's role is just as important as the EE's role or the CompE's role or etc.</p>
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I don't think you're looking deep enough into what ME's do.
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<p>This. You think you know what mechanical engineering research is about, but you're only <em>supposing</em> that you know. You just don't want to be a mechanical design engineer, you still don't know what research in mechanical engineering is about.</p>
<p>Go to the websites of some top mechanical engineering departments and see what their research is all about. Illinois' research lab sites provide a good overview of what each lab does.</p>
<p>Aibarr I already did that, i looked on my departments (UT), Stanford's, MIT, and even Princeton, and all the research (with the notable exception of Princeton) seemed really boring and mundane. I dont know it just seems really boring to research mechanical systems.</p>
<p>Are you sure you checked Stanford's website? Follow the link and click on the circle: Mechanical</a> Engineering Home</p>
<p>Lets see, their research is broken up into five categories:
1. Design
Design and manufacture devices or products; we develop tools to facilitate the creation of engineering products at a variety of scales and complexity.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Simulation
multi-scale phenomena including bridging of atomistic to continuum models; biomedical applications, including predictive surgery; chemical reactions and multi-phase flows; climate modeling; and energy systems.</p></li>
<li><p>Multi-Scale
research for the control and modeling of turbulence; micromechanics of materials; and design and fabrication of microscale devices</p></li>
<li><p>Biomedicie
exploring how proteins fold and interact to designing the next generation of medical equipment.</p></li>
<li><p>Energy
exploration for a new, sustainable energy; advanced energy carrier technologies and energy conversion devices such as fuel cells, hydrogen storage systems, hybrid transportation and power systems, and "smart" ways of accomplishing chemical-to-work energy conversion</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Note I just coppied and pasted a few pieces from each research area...and as you can plainly see, its not just boring mechanical systems. Biomedicie and energy are two areas that are going to be critical in years to come if our country is going to keep its place at the top.</p>
<p>So i figured out how to look at faculty according to research interest and I found out there are about 18 faculty members doing research in materials science in UT's mechanical engineering department, the MechE department also allows advanced students to get a certifcate in advanced materials engineering (which includes a research project) so I am sure I am going to complete it. Thanks for the help everybody.</p>