<p>Hi I'm thinking about a couple possibilities to do if I go to UCI. One is to major in EE and minor in Materials, another is to dual major in EE/CE or in Chemical Engineering/Materials. How hard would each of these be? </p>
<p>Also, I'm not in the school of engineering yet, I sent an email requesting a change but haven't gotten a response as of yet. How hard would it be to switch majors once I'm officially enrolled as a freshmen?</p>
<p>Thanks, any help would be appreciated.</p>
<p>If you try changing majors in the 1st year it should be relatively easy since all engineers just do freshman programming (mae / eecs 10), physics 7 series, math 2 series, along with general eds. Many of these classes even extend into the 2nd year so you should still be good.</p>
<p>Although I’m a mechanical engr major, I’ll try to answer your questions regarding double majoring as best as I can XD</p>
<p>Comboing Mat Sci minor with any other engineering is easy. You need 5 classes, and most eng majors require you to take 3 - 4 technical electives, which can be mat sci classes. </p>
<p>Double majoring might be a little tougher, but there is some major overlap and you can often substitute classes for mat sci with classes from other majors (since the material is the same, just different focus). I know plenty of people who are double majoring in mat sci / mechanical.</p>
<p>Anyhow, look around here [The</a> Henry Samueli School of Engineering - Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science](<a href=“UCI General Catalogue Archives”>UCI General Catalogue Archives) for more info. and feel free to ask if you still have questions.</p>
<p>Hey progress15 I was told that there is quite a bit of overlap between mechanical and aerospace and it is therefor easier to double major.</p>
<p>Do you know anyone doing that program?</p>
<p>also im currently accepted as U/U, what kind of GPA do you think I would have to have to get into the engineering school after fall quarter?</p>
<p>thanks :)</p>
<p>About to graduate with one of the double majors combinations you listed this June. I’m not sure about other years, but I know a lot of people who declared doubles years ago, but settled for a minor due to various reasons. There are only a handful of us graduating with the doubles. The level of difficulty is entirely up to you and how seriously you take your coursework/projects (i.e. if you’re having severe difficulty maintaining a GPA around 3.0 with one engineering major, don’t declare another one).</p>
<p>Is material science worth it though, for the minor/major?</p>
<p>What was the course work like? Did it still take 4 years to graduate or did you have to stay longer? Also, do you feel like you’re at an advantage compared to others because you dual majored?</p>
<p>I graduated with a BSEE at UCI and am now doing a MS/Ph.D at UCLA. My personal advice is to not double major or minor unless you are obsessed with book knowledge/itching to learn more. Undergraduate engineering programs make you take courses from all the sub disciplines in each major so you are well rounded for a BS level job or so you can decide which sub-discipline to go into for graduate studies. If courses in MatSci are absolutely useful for an interdisciplinary job/field of research, then by all means get the minor. However, instead of more courses, you should concentrate on acquiring real experience through research or internships as opposed to studying more books. If you must double, then Anteat3r’s advice is on the dot. Keep in mind, employers do NOT particularly favor double majors. They favor relevant experience.</p>
<p>corsair93,</p>
<p>Double majoring in ChemE/MatSci and Mech/Aero are both easy combinations with only a few additional courses. In a sense, these majors are made to be double majored. Professor Farghalli Mohamed at UCI made it a goal to make it extremely easy to double major in ChemE/MatSci in hopes to boost the enrollment in both majors, so it’s definitely a good idea. On the other hand, EE/CpE can vary a lot for a double major. You are also required to do two senior design projects if you want to double in EE/CpE.</p>
<p>So basically internships/work experience at school is better for the time spent rather than the extra studying involved?</p>
<p>And so would you recommend the ChemE/Materials double since they’re so closely related, or rather still focus on an internship/job? </p>
<p>EE/CPE sounds pretty intimidating though.</p>
<p>Corsair93,</p>
<p>Yes, on the dot. </p>
<p>Since ChemE/MatSci is extremely easy to double major in at UCI, it’s entirely up to you. You might be doing the university a favor by being a double major (the department gets to use more money). However, I personally believe you should be utilizing time to work, research, have a social life, or gain leadership experience through. Clubs of interest are: Engineering Student Council, MatSci (Material Science Club), and American Chemical Society (ACS). I prefer serving all students instead of just students with “high” GPAs in honors societies.</p>
<p>EE/CpE is definitely intimidating. Very few from my department go through with it.</p>