<p>Hey Everyone!
So, I am a junior in high school and I thought I was pretty set on pursuing an International Relations major in college. And I realize that I would almost definitely have to attend grad school at some point after my undergrad degree. I love languages, cultures, history, government and politics so International Relations seemed like the perfect fit. The problem is that math comes really easy for me. I am taking Calculus this year at a local college because my high school does not offer AP Calculus, and I have a B+. My professor is trying to convince me to consider getting an engineering degree because math comes so easy for me, there will always be jobs in engineering, etc. The problem is that I don't like math. My passion lies in government and languages. So do you guys think that it would be possible to double major in engineering and international relations? If so, what colleges have good programs in both? I have great extracurriculars and excellent grades, so I am not limited to just state colleges. I would love to hear any other ideas to solve this problem. Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Some thoughts:
-Even though math might come easy to you, if you don’t like it, you might not like engineering. Engineering is good because of its employment prospects, which is a positive thing, but not if you don’t like it.
-Even if you didn’t want to work as an engineer, the technical training is a good background for other fields (e.g., business, law), and many engineering grads from the better schools use their training as a stepping stone to other careers. You can even do a graduate/professional degree in IR.
-Math is a tool. If you can do math, it opens up any number of fields to you, besides engineering.
-I’m sure some people manage to do double majors in engineering and another non-technical field. However, the structured and sequential requirements for engineering majors make this difficult to fit in enough courses outside the engineering major. It’s probably easier in some engineering fields than others, though. If you choose to study certain languages, e.g., Chinese, these can be very time-consuming to juggle with engineering courses, which also can be very time-consuming.
-If you do decide to do an engineering major, you should be aware that many schools offer programs in “international engineering” which might interest you. See more on this in my post in this thread:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/1201485-should-i-consider-different-major-if-i-want-work-abroad.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/1201485-should-i-consider-different-major-if-i-want-work-abroad.html</a>
-If you study languages, ideally this involves a period of study abroad. It might be difficult to complete required engineering courses and study abroad. However, check out the Language Flagship programs. [The</a> Language Flagship - * Welcome *](<a href=“http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/]The”>http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/) These are designed to be completed along with another major. For example, see Chinese Flagship program at Ohio State. [The</a> Chinese Flagship Undergraduate Program | The Ohio State University MidWest US-China Flagship Program](<a href=“http://chineseflagship.osu.edu/undergraduate/]The”>http://chineseflagship.osu.edu/undergraduate/). There is also a joint ROTC/Chinese Flagship program at Georgia Tech. [The</a> Language Flagship - Pilot Flagship/ROTC Initiative](<a href=“http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/pilot-flagshiprotc-initiative#Georgia%20Tech]The”>http://www.thelanguageflagship.org/pilot-flagshiprotc-initiative#Georgia%20Tech)
As another example, schools, such as Wisconsin, offer coursework in Technical Japanese, geared to students in technical fields.[Online</a> Engineering Master’s Degree, UW-Madison](<a href=“http://metj.engr.wisc.edu/]Online”>http://metj.engr.wisc.edu/)
-If you’re interested in developing countries, a person with technical skills often is much more valuable than someone with the usual IR-type of degree. See my comments on this in my post in this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/902677-political-science-vs-international-relations.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/902677-political-science-vs-international-relations.html</a>
-There are many matters of science and technology that enter into international relations, e.g., climate change, energy, arms control & disarmament, cyber security/warfare, etc. A technical background could be a real benefit in pursuing these areas. The undergrad IR majors at many school often offer several thematic options or subspecialty tracks. One of these involves science & technology in international affairs. (Often this gets combined with an option on environmental matters.) Alternatively, some schools offer a program in science, technology, & society (or some similar title) in which these interests can be pursued. (Sometimes these programs are offered in a dept. of history of science).
-If you have any interest in ocean engineering, some schools such as Delaware and Rhode Island, have programs in marine affairs. This would be an awesome area to combine with international relations.
-If you decide to go the technical route, consider a field like earth sciences/geology. You’d be surprised at how you be able to make sense of many international problems once you view them from an energy perspective. This cuts across several world regions, e.g., China, the Middle East, Central Asia, Brazil, etc. When you add in issues like strategic metals, rare earth minerals, etc. it just adds to the potential importance of those sciences. Geology majors have fairly good employment prospects, too.</p>
<p>Instead of engineering have you considered economics? It involves math as well just not as directly as so with engineering. In addition economics tends to overlap with international relations so double majoring wouldn’t be as much as a hassle. And also when looking at highest paying majors, aside from engineering, computer science and economics are the only other two that remain. Lastly, getting a degree in economics would allow you to integrate your career more with your passions as economics is obviously more interweaved with international relations then engineering is. Food for thought, hope it helps!</p>