<p>I have the chance to either major in mechanical engineering and minor in German or double major in mechanical engineering and mathematics. Which choice is better?</p>
<p>Any Advice?</p>
<p>My advice is to only major in MechE, unless you think you can find a job that requires both…Use your electives to take classes you like or to get a higher grasp of MechE.</p>
<p>Would a graduate school view a double major better than a single major?</p>
<p>For what, Engineering? My grad program found my single major to be just fine. If you are going to do research, that will matter a lot more, not whether you have another degree. Also I would assume a deeper knowledge of the subject, by taking more core classes, would also look better.</p>
<p>
In general, no. The thing is, multiple majors, in and of themselves, are about breadth. Grad school is about depth. Your proposed double major would give you more mathematical skill than the average ME, but most of that skill would not be directly applicable to ME.</p>
<p>What do you want to research in grad school? If you want to get into grad school to research that subject, what specifically will prepare you to do so? These are the questions you need to be trying to answer, and “double major” is almost never the answer. The best course for grad school is have a very high overall GPA, with excellent grades in those available courses most relevant to your research, and with some actual quality research experience.</p>
<p>If grad school is your only interest then it is simply a case of maximizing your efforts in those areas - anything else (like the myriad of other courses needed to get a second major or even a minor) is a distraction. But if you have other goals, that’s fine too - if you want to get a minor or major because it fulfills some other interest or need, then go do so. But don’t fool yourself into thinking that it will help you with grad school.</p>
<p>EDIT: I should state that there probably are a very few areas where the overlap between ME and math might be high enough that a double major would take minimal effort beyond what would already be helpful in the specialty… but they are few and far between, and if you do not know that you want one of those specialties it does not make sense to spend the time on the double major.</p>
<p>Are you considering employment someday in Germany? </p>
<p>I’m considering employment in Germany as an option, but it’s not probable.</p>