Hi all,
I was just curious, do you guys think it would be beneficial to take a German minor and some sort of Engineering major?
I would like to check just to be sure.
Thanks!
On a professional level, no. On a personal level, that’s up to you.
Exception: if you want to work in Germany.
I always say that if you have enough time to complete a minor like that, it would be better to sign up for extra design classes in your field of engineering. There’s always more you can learn!
If you can claim “fluent in German” on your resume, that may be helpful for some jobs. But probably a minor will not be any more useful. Also it could be tough to get all the right course sequences scheduled (especially at a small school).
A basic understanding of German would be a plus when being involved in any, English language based, study/intern/research abroad in Germany.
You may also find study/intern/research abroad opportunities in Germany that do require a basic understanding of the German language.
Here’s an example of one (very selective) program at UA:
By the way, the challenge with a German minor, is the number of credits required. The basic language class is usually a 5 credit class, that’s a large time commitment. Fitting that in with the engineering critical tracking courses (Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, etc), is a pain.
Then the minor may require another 15 or so credits (which may or may not include the language classes). (this is all based on semesters). You may want to take the language classes (that’s a personal preference), but you probably should spend your “credit hours” on more technical electives.
I’ve never run into logic like this anywhere but on this site. Where do you draw the line?
If you have time for writing classes, you’re not trying hard enough! Why not take more engineering instead! Or history! Or social sciences! Or another language! All not as worthy as engineering. Like…what?
It’s just an extension of how students are being required to specialize earlier and earlier. We used to be told that you could explore what you like in college, except you can’t, because why not more engineering? And in order to do that, you have to be on the math and science track in high school. And middle school, to be able to reach calculus in high school. And even further back. Before you could even possibly know you might eventually want to do engineering.
@bodangles Keep in mind we’re answering the question about minors being “beneficial” to an engineering major. The answer is yes, no, maybe, it’s complicated.
Most of us are supportive of the US model of education (4 year degrees), vs the European model (3 years, much more specialized). The US system doesn’t allow you to take only technical electives, you do have to met your GC requirements. I took 2 classes in anthropology, 2 history related classes (one on the ancient roman republic, another on technical innovation over the centuries), a class on international relations, etc. All where fun, but not really related to Nuclear Engineering. 
If a student wants to take a foreign language, but all means they should! But it can be hard to work it into your schedule while taking your core classes and GC.
If they want to take a minor, sure, go for it. But don’t do it because you think it’s a huge advantage when seeking a job in engineering, and don’t let it “force” you to take classes you would rather not take (and pass on classes you would really like to take) just to complete the “minor”.
@bodangles - by the time a college student asks for advise here, he/she is beyond all the pre-college stuff you’ve ranted about. (Vailid observations just not relevant here). In engineering programs, there are different ways to use electives. For example, I studied Mech Eng and did a Technical Communications concentration. Nonetheless, I see the value in extra design classes etc.
Engineering has MANY course requirements, and there is often speculation that it will someday become a 5 year degree. Taking extra engineering electives helps a student hone in on areas of interest post-graduation. There are many interesting non-engineering topics you can learn about from independent reading / discussions (not classwork)… … but that not the case for most engineering topics.
I’m a junior in chemE, I’m familiar with the stuff about the rigid curriculum and all that.
Just comes across as very…“if you have time to be on College Confidential, you have time to be doing your chores, you slacker!” Except it’s not faffing about on the internet, it’s learning a second language. Something many people would consider a noble pursuit even if just for personal reasons. But no – according to posts above and others I’ve seen from supposed hiring managers here in the past, only engineering is worthy of space in my schedule.
Just seems silly.
I guess I’m one of those “supposed” hiring managers. But when I had an order of magnitude more applications/resumes for the number of jobs I was offering, you do have to consider your competition for that job.
Learning German is a noble pursuit. It may seem silly to you, but I, as a manager with an engineering job to get done, just don’t really care about that minor in German.