<p>I really want to work as a chemical engineer for a government agency in the future, like the U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, or Missile Defense Agency. I definitely want to get a B.S. degree in chemical engineering, possibly with a double minor in mathematics and political science. However, what type of grad school degree should I pursue? The professional engineering track? (M.S. degree in chemical engineering, M.Eng. in chemical engineering) Or what benefits would come from attending law school?</p>
<p>Only go to law school if you REALLY want to be an attorney.</p>
<p>you can work for govt agencies as an engineer if you want.</p>
<p>You could go into patent law with a degree in engineering.</p>
<p>It really depends on what you want to do. For instance, if you’d rather go into the scientific/research aspect of the EPA or DoE, you’d be best going for an MS in chemical (i think they’d even take you with just a BS and some experience!). I know that they both heavily recruit chemical engineers because they try to understand the chemical concepts underlying environmental issues. </p>
<p>But if you’d like to go into the policy aspect of the government departments, law school would be your best option. You could try going into environmental law and then work for either department.</p>
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<p>It used to be the case that if you wanted to be a patent attorney you needed an engineering degree or something equivalent (CS degree and such). But this really limited the amount of candidates and they have since relaxed the degree requirements.</p>
<p>If you seriously want to be a lawyer then “B.S. degree in chemical engineering, possibly with a double minor in mathematics and political science” is overkill to the maximus. Not to mention that it doesn’t apply and will not help you in your law studies. If anything it will help you get used to being stressed out. This will happen a lot in law school and when you practice.</p>
<p>In terms of employment, I think you’re much better off as an engineer than a lawyer. The law field is highly, highly saturated right now - if you don’t go to a top 14 school, you’re unemployed (a slight exaggeration, but you get the point).</p>
<p>double minor in math and polysci…ha, this is indeed overkill and I don’t think you quite realize what just getting an BS in engineering takes. I say your best bet, if you want to work as an chem engineer, just start with undergrad school in chemical engineering. You will find that once you are out of college with a chem e job, different paths will open up to you and you will take the necessary schooling then. Don’t worry so much about the future until you’ve completed the basics steps to getting to where you may THINK you want to go (i.e. BS deg in chem eng then work experience as an actual engineer).</p>
<p>You learn a lot about yourself in college and may find out you want to take a completely different career path than the one you originally planned.</p>
<p>Edit: Also, I’ve spoken to several lawyers about this topic and they have all said are no prerequisites to law school, you could pretty much major in anything and then take the LSATS. I have heard quite different responses: the best lawyers they know majored in journalism because it teaches you to write. I was also told by one that the best degrees to prepare you for the LSATS are eng and philosophy because of the logical and analytic thought processes you develop.</p>