Double Major: MatSciE & ChemE

<p>Hi all -
I am very interested in chemistry and the idea of designing and manufacturing new substances (inclusive of polymers, metals, fluids, etc. ; excluding pharm.). </p>

<p>Assuming I am at any of the following: MIT, RPI, Lehigh, WPI; do you think it would be a good/bad idea to double major in Materials Eng and ChemE? Why?</p>

<p>Also, do you think I should major in chemE no and go more into Materials Eng in grad school?</p>

<p>Any thoughts welcome.</p>

<p>Unless you are in the situation of having a lot of AP credit and can finish two degrees in 4 years, it is not a good idea to double major, particularly in two engineering disciplines which are somewhat orthogonal. A BS/MS combination will take the same amount of time and be better for employment prospects. From what you write in your opening paragraph, you are probably more interested in MSE than CHEME. Start with that and then see if a Masters in one or the other is better. You can always take some CHEME courses as electives or a minor if it is available.</p>

<p>Because of the nature of my high school ill actually have a full year of college credits from WPI when I apply to school, if that changes anything</p>

<p>Take a look at the curricula of the two majors and try to plot out how it will be possible to take all the requirements in 4 years for both majors. It might be possible but you have to take into account that not all the courses will be offered each semester. In general, a second degree requires a full extra year of courses at a minimum but prerequisites and the fact that the curricula don’t always overlap enough might make it more than that.</p>

<p>In any case, my advise about a B.S./M.S. combination is still valid. Look into what kind of co-terminal degrees are available at WPI. These have become very popular and are better than 2 B.S. degrees.</p>

<p>Are you from Massachusetts Academy, per chance? WPI does offer a 5 year M.S./B.S. program. In addition, the Chemical Engineering also allows for a materials minor/concentration. That might be more reasonable than a double major, as Chemical Engineering is pretty regimented at WPI.</p>

<p>BryMan92 Yes, I am haha, how could you tell? (kidding)
But that’s actually really awesome information, thanks!</p>

<p>I could tell simply by your college selection; not many people include WPI unless they are from the region. Plus, where else can you do a full year of college before college? ;p</p>

<p>I would say, that you are in a good position because you are aware that you have a full-year’s worth of credit and will probably get some nice Fin Aid AND be able to graduate after 3 years. I am a senior at WPI now, so if you have any questions feel free to ask here or PM me!</p>

<p>Make sure you check the rules that each school has for double majors. At my school, they didn’t allow students to double major in two engineering majors (you couldn’t double major in any two majors within the same school/department), and there were rules about how many classes could overlap between the two majors, which may bump up the number of total classes you need to take. There were also rules about the total number of units you could have even with the double major, and given the number of units engineering majors typically take and the number of units you’re going in with, that could potentially pose a problem. Even if you CAN feasibly fit in all the classes you’d need in 4 years (or more, if you’re willing to stay longer), some schools might not allow you to double major in those particular majors regardless.</p>

<p>Okay! Thanks so much BryMan92!
And alright baktrax; thanks for the heads-up!</p>

<p>Like the OP, Lake Jr. has a strong interest in materials R&D, but also leans towards Ch-E. He decided to major in Ch-E, take a class in the Materials Science Department, and sign up for Polymer Chemistry when the time comes. Moreover, his Ch-E requirements will include Inorganic Chemistry and a year of Physical Chemistry. I’m a layman but I gather that sequence of materials-related chemistry courses is also required by other schools for their Ch-E majors.</p>

<p>Piggybacking on Xraymanics, my point is that a double major isn’t necessarily your best option.</p>

<p>Taking advantage of all of your AP/IB/DE/CC credit is not always advised no matter how high the grade. The strategy should be different at each school as they use weeder classes differently. Speak to successful people currently in the program. Look at previous exams for any class you wish to take credit (usually available online). You want to be able to pass the final exam with a B or better to move forward. Foundational classes in engineering are key.</p>