<p>My goal is to become a professor someday, but more and more, I'm starting to notice than an engineering undergrad degree (and most likely leading to engin grad degree) may not be the best path to academia.</p>
<p>I base this off the fact that looking at the engineering faculty pages on numerous univ websites, you see professors in engin departments who got their degrees in physics, chemistry, etc.</p>
<p>But you never see it the other way around...an engin Ph.D working in a non-engin department.</p>
<p>So it seems like the old adage is reversed in academia. A engin major can get any job at a company that a science major can get...but a science major (Ph.D) can get any job at a university that an engin major (Ph.D) can get.</p>
<p>Does anyone else notice this and what are your thoughts?</p>
<p>This is one of the reasons I chose not to pursue engineering. The whole degree is very focussed on preparing you to become a PEng, with little room for the scientific/research oriented aspects of engineering that one studies in grad school. If you are REALLY dead-set on becoming a professor, then yeah, I think a science degree would work just as well if not better than an engineering degree in the world of academia.</p>
<p>The professors you mentioned got their science degrees decades ago. Engineering has expanded since then. If you want to do science and then engineering, you'll just spend extra time.</p>
<p>Depending on the field, there are engineering profs who have joint appointments in science to work with science profs but mostly they don't teach in science because they probably like engineering more. Not to mention engineering pays more and has more sources of funding for research.</p>
<p>My husband got his engineering degree (mechanical engineering) from Rose Hulman. Later, he went back for his master's and P.h.D (Purdue), specializing in combustion. When he came out, he had three offers from Universities; we chose Texas A & M. As it turned out after teaching there for several years, (his true love), he went back to industry ... he didn't care for the whole gotta raise your own research funding ... just not a "gotta scramble for the bucks" kind of guy. He's more the "won the university teaching award" kind of guy. <g> Anyway, he's happier back in industry, where's he's taught night classes for engineers going back for Master's ... allows him the best of both worlds. After the kids are out of school, we may head back to a university environment, only a smaller school where he might be able to focus on teaching, his first love ... and leave the research to the up and coming guys. </g></p>