<p>If you plan on getting a masters in a certain major, does it really matter what type of engineering you plan to do during your undergraduate study? I plan to do materials engineering in the end, but I am wondering if I shouldn't not be considering schools just because they don't have matSE, like Duke?</p>
<p>Yes, it matters. Your entry into grad school is dependent on many factors, one of which is your degree of preparation. If you are entering with a degree in the same field, you have a demonstrated level of interest, ability, and preparation which those without that degree lack. You can make up this deficit by being exceptional in other ways, or can mitigate it by taking additional non-major courses that focus on a specific research area in the other field, but it is still a deficit to be overcome.</p>
<p>So if you are dead set on MatEng in grad school, I would strongly consider MatEng or a very very closely related field as an undergrad.</p>
<p>Okay, that is actually what I’m asking. I know ChemE and MechE are very very closely related fields to MatSE (correct me if im wrong), so does it really matter which one of the three I do? Duke only has MechE so should I even be considering it?</p>
<p>There is another school right down the road in Raleigh that has a great materials department – NCSU. Why not go there instead?</p>
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<p>You can’t compare the opportunities coming from Duke and coming from NC State. He would be much better off traveling 3 hours to Atlanta for GT. </p>
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<p>Here’s what I would do: pull the curriculum from Duke’s ME program ([Degree</a> Planning | Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science](<a href=“http://www.mems.duke.edu/degree+planning]Degree”>BSE Degree Planning | Duke Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science)) and pull the curriculum from an MSE undergrad program (UIUC, for instance: [Curriculum</a> | Undergraduate | Materials Science and Engineering | University of Illinois](<a href=“http://www.matse.illinois.edu/academics/undergrad/curriculum.html]Curriculum”>http://www.matse.illinois.edu/academics/undergrad/curriculum.html)). Then compare to determine what classes you’ll lack as a Duke ME vs. a UIUC MSE. See if you can get those requirements in as electives. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, join an MSE professional society or two and try to get some undergraduate research with a Duke Material Science professor, and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>Thanks, very good advice.</p>
<p>You can also take a look at Materials Science graduate programs and see what kinds of courses they want you to have taken in undergrad. Generally, MSE programs take students from very diverse backgrounds (I have friends from chemistry, physics, MechE, ChemE, and have even met some EEs), so not majoring in MSE in undergrad isn’t a deal breaker.</p>
<p>That said, if you’re really interested in doing materials science you might want to try and do it as an undergrad program since four years is a long time to stick out a really hard major you don’t necessarily like. Also, plans change and you might not wind up going to grad school.</p>