Does double major mean that at the end of the 4 year course i get a certificate stating that i am an undergraduate in two engineerings?
Also is it possible to do double majors in aeronautical and biomedical engineering and if yes, then i would like to know which universities are offering that?
Those two majors have almost no overlap, so you will probably need 5 years to complete your bachelor’s degree. Biomed is already a pretty intense degree for a 4 year program.
Do you have some intersection identified (say astronaut life support) or are you just interested in both majors
You do realize that almost all schools have the same first 2 year program for all engineers ?
If these are more than passing interests, you should look for a school that offers both … although I can’t personally think of a school that really specializes in both (They are both way more specialized than say mechanical, electrical or chemical).
Looks at websites to see if any school would combine these into a track … for one major.
@Soham121 Aeronautics and biomedical… sounds like a hard major. and is it Aeronautics or Aerospace engineering? What kind of career goals do you have? Because it looks like you have 3 choices if you want to get out in 4 years:
- Compromise the Double major
If you want to work as an Aerospace engineer while having a BS in Biomedical, their is a Mechanical and Biomedical engineering double major at Duke University.
http://mems.duke.edu/undergrad/double-major
- BS and AA
Now If your sure you want to do it, consider dual degreeing. Like @PickOne1 said their is virtually no overlap between those 2 degrees normally(except gen eds). Especially for 2 Bachelors… But My sister made her own “dual degree” program by taking classes online and over the summer for one major at one university online and the other at a normal university to get a BS and AS. She got an BS in Biochem and a AS in Aeronautics Technology in 3 1/2 years.
She looked for one online programs that had at least 30 free electives inside their degree plans and at least 30 hours of Gen Eds so that their would be cross over. An example would be Liberty University Online’s Aeronautics because of its elective space.
http://www.liberty.edu/media/1270/AVIA-BS-D.pdf
- BS and MS
My favorite choice would be to get one BS in either Biomedical or Aeronautics in a 3 year program (normally by taking 15 hours during Fall and Spring semester with 12 hours during summer) and then join a Graduate degree program for the other major if you feel like you still want to purse it.
Hope I helpped
Some aerospace companies may hire a Biomedical engineering. Don’t see that Duke’s program really is related to aerospace at all, it is more related to biomechanics (prostheses, artificial joints, etc).
However, mechanical engineering would be a bridge between aero and biomed, you could take electives related to either or both areas. Easier at some schools than others (many schools do not offer aero, many do not offer biomed, especially ABET accredited programs).
what kind of work does your sister do with this combo @lessonwitch2 ?
3 year engineering program is pretty aggressive … it is not the norm …
many classes are not offered during the summer, basically only the freshman and sophomore standard engineering curriculum, or at some schools with a lot of high school science math, you could place out of a lot of classes. I think it would also be hard to graduate successfully with a high GPA, especially with such an aggressive curriculum. Masters programs are quite difficult academically, it’s all theory and difficult math.
Yes, you would get a degree that would say (for example) “Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical and Biomedical Engineering”. You would be considered to have a basic level of qualification in each area.
It is possible, but it is difficult. Generally speaking, engineering degrees are nearly identical in the first two years - you may take some extra credits but probably not extra courses. The remaining two years may have some overlap, depending on the similarity of the fields, the policies of the departments, and your willingness to overlap the material. At one end of the spectrum you can graduate in 6 years with a distinctly developed specialty in each field, while at the other end you may graduate in less than 5 years but without significant specialization in EITHER field!
I am not going to search universities for you, by the way - that kind of basic research is up to you.
I am going to chime in with those who question the need for this combined program - it seems like a lot of extra time, work, and money, with little or no career return. I would also suggest going for a BS in one field and an MS in another, bearing in mind that the MS field is almost certainly going to be the field in which you are employed - if double majors make employers nervous (and they do!), superior degrees terrify them. If you have a BS in aeronautical engineering and an MS in bioengineering, you are going to have a hard time finding work as an aeronautical engineer!
@PickOne1 She’s a medical school student who wanted to have options if she didn’t get to medical school. She works in aviation maintence while at med school.
@cosmicfish right about the resources. Do the con (time, work, energy, money, little to no career return) out way your pros? Only you know that.
So it is possible, but both degrees are very hard, and may be useless depending on your long term career goals.
“She works in aviation maintence while at med school” - Please explain that more. I’m confused because you don’t need an engineering degree for a maintenance job. And med students usually don’t have much time for a side job.
Such a combination isn’t exactly the same level of rigor to a dual major in two engineering disciplines, of course.
Also, I’d be very, very careful about giving any money to Liberty University, even online.
@colorado_mom She is busy doing both but she’s a good student and makes time and does fine. And I don’t know if its needed, but no one else at her work doesn’t have a degree. I don’t know her official position, I just know she works in aviation before the plane takes off.
@colorado_mom, not taking anything away from her, but she has an associates degree in aeronautics technology, not a degree in aerospace engineering.
Ah, that makes sense. Sounds like a hard worker.
First, you don’t need to major in a subject to take classes in it. So, before you plan on majoring in anything, take the pre-reqs and sample intro classes.
Second, engineering is very sequential and fixed, so that it’s one of the hardest majors to double major in (alongside nursing). So, if you’re interested in two fields, you’re better off majoring in physics and one among math, biology, statistics, data science, computer science, computational math, and/or taking applied science/engineering classes as part of your electives (a BA degree has about 30% electives), then going for an MS in the field that interests you most.
Being a pre-med student, she’s going to want a 4 year plan (earn the degree, have the GPA/ECs, get into med school). The best bet is a standard degree (and perhaps a minor in Biomechanics or Biomolecular Engineering, whatever is available at her school). Taking 5 or 6 years to earn a dual degree and then entering med school would be a waste of time and money (money she’ll need for med school).
If after 3+ years, it looks like med school is no longer the goal, she could complete her degree and either go into industry or pursue a masters. Her school may also have a combined degree option (4+1) which would allow her to earn a BS and MS in 5 years.
The following link is to one of the Biomed research labs at UF, that’s ran by a member of the aerospace and mechanical engineering faculty. It’s a great example of the type of research being done in the biomedical field by Aero/Mechancial engineers.