<p>Hi,
I am a junior in high school and I think I know what I want to major in. However, I have two interests right now. So I was wondering if it was possible for one to double major in chemical engineering as well as electrical engineering. Would the courseload be extremely rigorous? Or are there many overlaps in the course requirements between the two?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance</p>
<p>Assuming it were even possible, given the number of required courses for both majors and the distribution requirements most schools have, why would you want to cheat yourself out of the opportunity to explore subjects you have an interest in but don’t know anything about? Or the chance to do a semester abroad? Leave some room in your life for exploration and self-discovery. It’s the difference between being trained and being educated.</p>
<p>Ok thanks, but I’m already exploring all areas of study at my high school and based on all the years I’ve been in school, I’ve always loved Chemistry, Physics, and Math.</p>
<p>Engineering is very difficult in terms of courseload in college. To take on two would be insane. If you want to sacrifice ~3+ years of social life and slave over schoolwork, go for it. This particular combo may not be available at many universities though, even if both individual degrees are offered, and could limit your choice of schools.</p>
<p>My advice is, pick one as an intended direction. Take the basic engineering courses your freshman year in college, and I guarantee by the end, you will have a passion for one over the others. There is really no use to getting both degrees in the working world; as far as I know, there are no shortages of either, and it’s verrry unlikely that you’d have the opportunity to combine the two into one profession. You’d be much better off focusing on one</p>
<p>You’re more likely to find a synergy between physics, chemistry and math in interdisciplinary science fields – as for example material science, physical chemistry, biophysics and even geophysics. Examples of design work that requires deep interdisciplinary skills includes sensor development, biological instrument development, etc.</p>
<p>One approach is to start out in college with a strong science focus – pick either physics or chemistry and walk the fine line of taking courses in both. You may decide to stay in this mode for an undergraduate degree, and then specialize (possibly with an “engineering” focus) for a masters degree, or possibly follow the interdisciplinary route in a field like material science.</p>
<p>High school classes are often not very good representations of how a discipline <em>really</em> is. Philosophy is a prime example - my colleagues and I always rolled our eyes when a new freshman claimed to know all about philosophy because he had taken a high school class. Psychology in high school can be all about taking little personality inventories and looking at the most extreme experiments, whereas in college even intro psych can include a lot of math. Math and science are different as well - you might work on problems/experiments where the solution is currently unknown, for example. How cool! </p>
<p>I’m just saying . . . give yourself a little time to play around a little, to get an “adult” view of the disciplines.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! Maybe I’ll reconsider. After all, I still have until sophomore year in college to decide. :)</p>