Electrical vs Mechanical Engineering

Parents Forum
1

<p>I am a senior, and for UC applications I need to choose my major. I basically really like three subjects, math, computer science, and physics, all equally. Mechanical and electrical engineering seem to fit this the best, but I am not sure which one to pick. I have taken the Physics AP C exam, EM and Mechanics, and I thought both were very very very interesting, not sure if one was better than the other.</p>

<p>For electrical</p>

<p>I have heard the most electrical engineers eventually become computer scientists or programmers, which is what I for sure do not want to do, because although I do like computers I just have to be working with all three subjects, and I might go insane debugging code all the time (though I'm not bad at it). However, some of the topic in electrical engineering are also closely related to physics, such as solar panels and plasma. Stuff like signaling also seems cool, and also stuff like electrical power systems.</p>

<p>For Mechanical</p>

<p>I really think stuff like Terminator is cool, and it would be awesome to build stuff like that. However, in a internship I'm doing right now, I was given a book to read on stress and strain, and it doesn't seem all that exciting, nothing like iRobot or Terminators. Also, I really don't want to end up doing mechanical design for stuff like hardware. Although that sounds interesting, I want to build stuff like machines that can do work, like robotic soldiers.</p>

<p>Both</p>

<p>To be honest, job prospects for both seem to be not so great with all the outsourcing. However mechanical seems to be the worst off compared to electrical in terms of pay. I want to work with robots and AI systems, so like robots going into the battlefield or robots doing chores for people. Also, electric power/plasma sounds cool too, since that has a lot of physics. Which choice is the best for me, in your opinion?</p>

2

<p>The difference is primarily when you are in school.</p>

<p>After school, the majors tend to blend. I work side by side with electrical, aerospace, and mechanical engineers, and we all do the same job.</p>

3

<p>Agree with babyontheway, my H has a mechanical engineering degree. He works in a nuclear power plant alongside of other engineers with various degrees.
In H’s opinion EE is harder in college than ME. Also the EE’s he works with rarely do EE type work, more general engineering stuff.<br>
Like baby said, they all sort of blend together on the job site.</p>

4

<p>My sense from your description of what you like and not like about each of the two engineering fields is that you’re not ready to make a decision. Choosing a major as a high school senior is not meant to lock you into a specific subfield of what you’ll eventually do.</p>

<p>To the extent that you must make the decision electrical engineering is the more general choice, and would leave you with the option of transferring to mechanical engineering should you decide to do later in college. I think that it is harder to make the transition in the other direction.</p>

<p>For the first two years of college the differences between the two majors is likely to be subtle – because of the need for physics, math and the like necessary for either. During these two years take the highest level of physics and computer science that you can. Also if you can, take circuit design, and courses on materials. My sense is that you’ll figure out the actual direction you’ll want to pursue by junior year. You can even defer the final decision to graduate school, since many engineers in EE and ME do get an MS degree.</p>

5

<p>I think you have a misconception about engineers becoming programmers. Engineers learn to become problem solvers. We take the problems and use our analytical tools to try to solve them. Many problems have simulation as a component to verifying the design and software is used as a tool because it’s cheaper to simulate than to build if you’re not sure you have the design 100% correct. For example, it costs about $5 million to spin a new chip. Would you want to make that investment if you weren’t sure the design is absolutely perfect? Therefore, simulation and verification are key steps in the design process. Writing a test script to exercise every aspect of your chip design involves some programming but basically programming EE concepts. However, there is no way that you would consider what chip designers do just programming. </p>

<p>Also, many signal processing algorithms can be implemented in software. Again, software is just the tool, but the problems being solved are EE problems. </p>

<p>Debugging is a key component of engineering. “It” rarely works the first time. You always “learn” something. </p>

<p>Just wanted to clear that up. </p>

<p>Between EE and ME, I think robotics overlaps both. Software is huge in robotics. If you want to learn about stress, strain, thermo, heat transfer, fluids, etc, go into ME. If you want to learn about circuits, signals, communications, semiconductor physics, E+M, computer architecture, digital design, optics, electric power, etc, then go EE.</p>

6

<p>Extending from what classicrockerdad said - the EE and ME both use software apps in doing the designs, simulations, testing but this is really considered no more ‘programming’ or ‘writing software’ or ‘computer science’ than that of an admin using Word or an accountant using Excel to create some graphs. The person who actually writes the apps used - i.e. designs/writes the schematic capture program, designs/writes the program that allows one to set the simulation parameters and processing, or designs/writes Word or Excel are the CS people. When an EE is designing a new chip, a new circuit, using a programmable logic device, running simulations, etc. they’ll generally do so sitting at the computer and using the apps as the tools but that doesn’t mean they’re ‘programming’. The same is true for the ME who’s designing a new mechanical system, chassis, etc. - they’re likely doing so on the computer. </p>

<p>There are many EEs who don’t eventually become programmers - they design chips, circuits, work with signals, design cell phones, design new microprocessor circuits, design control systems for missiles and airplanes, and the list goes on. </p>

<p>You need to realize that in college one obtains a general education in any one of these fields and then once employed tends to focus in a particular area at any given time whether it be for some years before changing direction or their entire career. One individual doesn’t do it all - i.e. the EE individual wouldn’t be designing medical devices, microwave systems, microprocessor systems, LCD displays, industrial robots, etc. all at the same time. It’s similar for ME and CS.</p>

<p>I also agree that you don’t need to be too concerned about comitting now. Although in engineering one tends to select a major up front so they can start focusing classes in that area to get them done since there are so many courses to take, it’s not difficult to switch either to a different engineering major or out of engineering altogether after starting. Most HS people don’t really have any idea what it’s like to major in CS, ME, EE, or the other engineering areas. After taking a CS course or an EE course (CS people take some EE courses and vice versa) one may discover that they really dislike one or the other. EE and ME are quite different. If you’ve had AP Physics in HS you should have some sense of this - do you enjoy the areas of magnetics and voltage potential more than stresses and material properties or vice versa?</p>

<p>Note that learning CS isn’t about just learning to ‘program’ - it’s not like learning a foreign language. The CS major learns about many areas and how to design software solutions, engineering principles, etc. The programming language is just a tool - kind of like how a writer uses the language as a tool but simply learning a language isn’t the same as being able to write a novel.</p>

<p>Robotics combines many of these systems with ME, EE, CS people being involved in its development and so do things like UAVs - i.e. usually all of these different engineers would work together on different areas of the design to have it all come together as a product. Keep in mind that by the time you’d attain the degree your eyes would have been opened to many other focus areas that are also interesting and beyond those you’re aware of are many more you probably haven’t thought about - even by the time you graduate in the major.</p>

<p>I think you should go with a gut feel for the particular discipline to start with but then after taking a some of the more basic courses decide which area you like best and switch if you feel like it to a different discipline.</p>

7

<p>My son is a freshman and came in as a Mechanical Engineering major. However, the first year courses are basically the same for all engineers at his school. Everyone takes an Intro to Engineering class first semester which introduces all the majors. So far he thinks EE sounds interesting and has no interest in Civil. He hasn’t learned about Chemical or Mechanical yet. By the end of this year he will have to make a decision. I would think most school would be similar.</p>

8

<p>

Also, regardless of which direction you choose to go, there may be some courses which you just find tedious. They are a necessary evil in order to move to the more interesting situation where you actually get to apply the knowledge to design things. Most design engineers are not the ones doing the actual building or constructing of the things they design - even the prototypes. There are highly skilled machinists and electricians and so on who do a lot of the actual, hands on, work.</p>

9

<p>Is it harder to get into ME or EE at the UCs? Or are they equally competitive? (the point being that it might be easier to transfer ME –> EE or the other way around).</p>

<p>I would think that robots would require a lot of software and the EE degree would be better. Maybe you could look up some graduate robot projects and see who is contributing to them - MEs or EEs or CSs.</p>

10

<p>I agree that it won’t matter for the first year or so. Pick one now and know that you can switch as you learn more once you are immersed in the engineering curriculum of your school.</p>

11

<p>DS is an ME and works in robotics doing the mechanics and electrical. If your school is rigorous and you apply yourself in the projects, you can learn programing, embedded system, mechanical systems. </p>

<p>He does not do AI or detailed programming. He’s not interested or trained. There are other people who do those things. </p>

<p>This world is too complicated to do everything. Do a few things well, and one very well.</p>

12

“Is it harder to get into ME or EE at the UCs? Or are they equally competitive?”

At my school, the University of Central Florida, competitiveness isn’t a factor. If you can pass calculus II you’re automatically accepted into the college of engineering of your choice. Your coursework then includes calculus III and Differential Equations among others. If you can’t pass calc II go kick rocks.
The “brick wall” that is calc II is your competition.

13

Please only use old threads for research. The OP is probably graduated from college by now.