Geology or Engineering?

College Majors
1

Hi all. I am transferring to a 4-year this fall and my current major is Geology (B.S.). I fully intend to do grad school afterwards (for a non-thesis MS). However, I have lately been toying with the idea of doing civil or environmental engineering because the job market sounds a little better. I absolutely love geology but I am 26 years old and paying for all of my own college, so my degree does need to pay for itself in the long run. Also, I recently met a BS geology graduate who warned me against doing geology and recommended civil instead (according to him, there are no geo jobs. Is he right, or is his experience atypical?) It sounds like civil engineering would allow me to dabble in geology, but not really the other way around. I’m very good at math. My requirements for geology are Gen Chem 1-3, Physics with calc 1-3, Calculus 1 &2, Vector calculus, Diff Equations, and Linear Algebra. It sounds like the core requirements are the same for Engineering. My question: Is it too late to make the switch? I’m at the tail end of sophomore year, but I understand the engineering courses start at the beginning of freshman year. Also, is anyone in the geology or civil engineering field? How are the job prospects?

Thanks for taking the time to read and respond.

2

You probably won’t finish in 2 years if you switch. But both are good fields. DS is a sophmore Geology major and has a paid internship at a company that tests soil for construction sites. He works with several professional Geologists and has learned from them that there are many career paths for geology majors. He is now considering snow science and is interested in testing ski areas for avalanches.

Engineers are always in demand and command high salaries, so that’s a no brainer. With geology it seems you will have to find your niche.