How do you choose between engineering majors?

<p>I'm a freshman who wants to transfer into engineering from the college of liberal arts, and I've applied to to transfer, listing my major as Civil Engineering.</p>

<p>I am interested in majoring in Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, but I want to make sure that I want to choose the right one. I just haven't 100% figured out which one is the best match for me since I have diverse interests. The things I'm interested in are how buildings and roads are constructed, and how hydraulic systems work, so I know I'd like Civil. I've also been fascinated with gadgets and how machines and elecronics work, which is why I'd like ME and EE.</p>

<p>Is there an intro to engineering course where you learn about the engineering majors and figure out which one's you'd like?</p>

<p>
[quote]
Is there an intro to engineering course where you learn about the engineering majors and figure out which one's you'd like?

[/quote]

Some schools have an introductory course in each of the engineering majors that allow you to learn about it. Check your school's catalog.</p>

<p>I think you should ask yourself where you'd like to be in 20 years, and i dont mean financially. If you had to choose the type of work you would be doing according to your interests, what would you enjoy doing the most? that should help you narrow it down quite a bit.</p>

<p>basically it comes down to what is that ONE thing you would do out of your whole list. prioritize yourself and you will find your answer.</p>

<p>My father is an electrical engineer,that's why I chose EE.</p>

<p>I'm like you to some extent - i'm interested in mechanical engineering, electrical/computer, and nuclear engineering.</p>

<p>The general recommendation seems to be to go for whatever you are most interested in with little concern to salary and other factors. </p>

<p>Some engineering colleges have started offering degrees in 'Interdisciplinary Engineering' or IDE. I don't know a great deal about that, but at my college, they allow you to design much of your own curriculum to your interests. Just how practical employers will consider a degree in this to be, though, remains to be seen...</p>

<p>quite frankly, I chose my engineering major based on the classes I like / did well in high school. And after I was in it, I discovered more things that made me like the major. So you gotta try them. First 1,2 years engineering majors are very similar with math, physics, chem courses.</p>

<p>Well, so far I see that I hate chem, and I already know that I like math and physics. So I'd want to major in something that incorporates math and physics, and not much chem.</p>

<p>I do have a creative side, and what I want to do with engineering is to be involved with designing, whether it be devices or buildings. I want a job where I come up with an idea, and then be able to write it down on paper. When I was younger, I'd look at machines/devices and I would put my own spin on them and draft my own version of the product. More recently, I've thought about how I would roads could be expanded to lessen traffic, and I've looked at my own home and thought about how a possible addition could be implemented, and then draft that down.</p>

<p>I guess if I were you I'd go with Mech. Engineering. Much of what you take in Mech. Engineering can be applied to Civil, but in addition there is a lot in a Mech. Engineering curriculum that is NOT usually in a Civil Engineering curriculum. In that regard, by taking Civil you might be limiting yourself a little bit if you are not really sure which way you want to go. Along those same lines, I have known of several Mech. Engineers who engage in the design of buildings and other large structures, much of it is well within their training. On the other hand, I don't encounter too many Civil Engineers in my own profession of Mechanical design engineering.</p>