<p>Out of curiosity how long do you think it would take to get a BA in both Chemical and Environmental Engineering? If it can be accomplished in a timely manner I would seriously consider it because it would make me a complete package, so to speak. I would know how to do all of the chem eng type of things in an environmentally friendly way and companies will pay really good money for that. Also, if I did this I would likely try to get a Masters degree or PhD in chem eng. Would this be plausible? Could I complete an Masters in chem eng and a BA in environmental eng in under 7-8 years? How about a PhD chem eng and a BA in environmental eng?</p>
<p>Also, is it worth the extra time and money?</p>
<p>The environmental engineers I have known have basically been involved in regulatory compliance and hazardous waste remediation. They did a lot of paper work. I have worked in accounting and engineering. To me, environmental engineers are to the EPA as tax accountants are to the IRS. Having said that if you are going spend 8 years in school just get a PhD in ChemE (and that is how long it took for the smartest guy I ever knew to complete). I don’t think it is worth the extra time or money.</p>
<p>thanks for your response. If I could somehow do it in under 10 years (Chem PhD and Environmental BA) I think it may be worth it, but I doubt I could do it in that time. </p>
<p>Kind of unrelated, but I know a lot of colleges have advanced programs. Do you think it would be possible to earn a PhD in 8 or less years if I were to do one?</p>
<p>The guys I know with PhDs in ChemE went to top 5 programs. To finish the BS and PhD, the one as I mentioned above took 8 years and the other 10. Those two guys seemed to be an order of magnitude smarter than everyone else. I really wouldn’t know about schools that fell farter down on the list. My guess is you could probably find one. For example, it appears (from a quick look) that you may be able to do a school like Drexel in under 8 years.</p>
<p>Getting back to the environmental for a second, during the BS in Chem E program, you can take an env Eng class to see how it is. My son is you age. His birthday was last Monday. What I tell him to do is to gather as much information as possible, look at the coursework for the degrees, and if you get a chance to do some college visits, try and get a few minutes with one of the professors to ask him what he thinks.</p>
<p>What schools are you considering?</p>
<p>I am considering:
GaTech (Reach)
UIUC (low Reach)
Purdue
Wisconsin
Maryland
VaTech
NC State
etc.</p>
<p>PS: Thats funny about your son, my birthday is on sunday.
Drexel
Rutgers</p>
<p>There is basically no reason to dual major in any engineering specialty, especially if your eventual goal is a Ph.D.</p>
<p>^Thanks, figured that out fast ;)</p>
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<p>I’m probably not going to actually take any advice on the subject, but I’m still curious why you say this, specifically the “especially if your eventual goal is a Ph.D.” part. Would you still say the same for fields which are interdisciplinary in nature?</p>
<p>some schools have environmental and civil as one department.
so i think you actually have to take civil courses, i know mine does that.
Unless you want to do environmental science, that’s a different major.</p>
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<p>The point of a Ph.D. is specialization and research. When you get hired for a Ph.D., you are being hired because (A) you are a proven researcher and (B) you are an expert in your particular area of your field. The concept of breadth is meaningless in that context. Employers aren’t going to care what you did during your undergrad and aren’t going to care if you did two B.S. degrees, they are going to care that you can perform research and are an expert in your field. The bottom line is that the goal of a Ph.D. is counter to that of dual majoring with your B.S.</p>
<p>Even at the B.S. level, I have never seen a situation that called for having a dual major. The only conceivable situation where this would be advantageous is if a job specifically needed the skills of both degrees, and even then it could probably be filled by someone with either degree and the remaining skills can be learned on the job. After all, such a job won’t likely require someone to know every skill in both majors.</p>