<p>I'll admit it. I love math. I love science. I love literature. I read and read and read as eagerly as I integrate or find mathematical patterns. I'm in my last year of high school. I do not know the appropriate forum to post this: the "other majors" or the "engineering" section. I choose to major in engineering for the problem-solving, innovation, and, especially for the math. Throughout the forums, I have heard CS, business, economics, dual engineering major/minors + main engineering major, although I have not seen literature/English concentrations + engineering. </p>
<p>-What are certain pathways towards a engineering degree (BSME) and a minor/major/concentration in English?
-What is the workload like for literature specified pathway?
-Maybe this is a myth but: do engineering job employers raise their eyebrows at this? (Found on another thread where writing was discussed) (post 5 and post 12)
-What should I be wary about for each path?
-Or does none of this matter; I should just minor/major/take classes in literature/something English-related, for there will be no negative repercussions? </p>
<p>Please NO flame war about practicality, STEM vs art, etc.</p>
<p>Alas I’m still in this battle: stay in engineering or do something artsy. The job prospects sway me one way, while my interests sway another way. I have capabilities in math and science, but they really drain me now that I’m actually talking college courses. I haven’t considered an engineering major/ liberal arts minor, though I don’t think that’s feasible in four years…? Unless you enter with a bunch of credits.</p>
<p>Years ago, I knew a Georgia Tech grad who did giant kinetic sculptures, his attempt to combine art and engineering. He sold some stuff but mainly his wife supported him. We lost touch when I moved to the PNW. A fraternity brother/Comp Sci grad played the piano and organ professionally after hours. I also know one of the guys at Dreamworks (they did Shrek). There are a few who manage to combine art/tech.</p>
<p>One complaint about engineering grads is that they don’t have the capacity to write without having someone fix grammar and spelling mistakes. Being a competent writer will be seen as a plus, but anything above that would be extraneous. In most engineering, you will be evaluated first on technical competence and work ethic. Second, you need to be moderately presentable and socially communicative, capable of working in groups. Other things, though interesting, won’t count for much in most hiring decisions.</p>
<p>Engineering degree programs do require humanities and/or social studies breadth courses. Use those breadth requirements to take the literature courses of interest to you.</p>
<p>You can specifically look for schools with a string liberal arts department.
Years ago i went to Columbia for engineering and had the opportunity to take a few classes with liberal arts majors.</p>
<p>Art doesn’t have to to be part of the curriculum. There are even a few engineering programs that have study abroad programs which might allow cultural education by visiting museums or just interacting with other students.</p>
<p>Engineers who also have real talent in the arts are not typical but not uncommon either. My daughter, a senior in ME, is quite talented in sewing and similar crafts. She also loves to cook. At one point I was wondering if she was going to engineering school or cooking school. She definitely wanted engineering school. Her roommates are really appreciative of her cooking talents.</p>
<p>I also knew a couple of kids, who I went to school with, who were talented in both ways. One went into architecture which combined his talents nicely.</p>
<p>Several engineering colleges are also aligned with other schools that can offer more than just the breath type literature classes that engineering schools would offer. It can be more challenging (travel across town and time wise) to take classes at two schools, but may be worth it to satisfy your literature interests.</p>
<p>Once you start working as a professional engineer, you may have time to further pursue your interests in literature. My wife, also an engineer, was part of a mystery novel club that met twice a month and she enjoyed it.</p>
<p>Bard College is a very intellectual/artsy LAC that is in the process of significantly increasing their STEM-related departments. We visited recently and the admissions office is PLASTERED with posters designed to get engineering/math/science kids to apply!</p>
<p>Bard only offers engineering as a 3+2 program with Dartmouth (competitive transfer admission, no financial aid the first year at Dartmouth) or Columbia (guaranteed transfer admission with 3.3 GPA).</p>
<p>The web site does not indicate a restriction on major at Bard (unlike many other “3” schools), so it may be possible to use the extra year of schedule space for additional art and literature courses by taking such a subject as the major at Bard while also taking math, physics, etc. to prepare for transfer to Columbia.</p>
<p>I will consider these colleges. I do not want to change an engineering degree for an art degree. Are there any novelist/mathematician in the annals of history?</p>
<p>Lewis Carroll, if you consider him a novelist.</p>
<p>My daughter also has wide interests outside of computer science, and she is focusing on schools which are not tech schools. I would think any non-tech school which has decent Engineering and English programs would meet your needs.</p>
<p>Being in the College of Engineering at a particular university shouldn’t mean that you can’t explore your interests in the arts. If the literature offerings at the university are so-so or ho-hum, be creative and seek out opportunities to expand and explore, like arranging an independent study project on the Harlem Renaissance, Women writers, Faulkner etc… you get the idea.</p>
<p>Lake Jr. just finished his first semester at Engineering School. Over Thanksgiving break he began to read Homer’s Iliad. That gave me an idea. One of his Xmas gifts will be a set of great works of literature; The Odyssey, Oresteia, Canterbury Tales, the Aenid and the Complete Works of William Shakespeare. Science and the arts can both be enjoyed and appreciated by an able and ambitious STEM student.</p>
<p>@mathyone Yes I would consider Lewis Carroll as a novelist. What are “tech schools”? I assume they are technical schools which focus mostly on the “technical side” of thing. </p>
<p>Isaac Asimov was a mathematician who wrote hundreds of books, fiction and non. Richard Feynman played bongos and also wrote wonderful books. Carl Sagan wrote many popular non-fiction books and the novel Contact that was made into a movie starring Jodie Foster.</p>
<p>More STEM fields should look for employees who have strong verbal and interpersonal skills. It’s not all tinkering. You have to go to meetings and work with people.</p>
<p>More important, a project designed without human interface in mind will be a mess. Even if the engineer doesn’t do interface directly, he/she’ll work with an interface specialist, and they’ll need common ground on which to communicate. Or you might actually become the interface specialist. A designer can’t just say, “Put a button here” without knowing a few things about how the button works, how many amps it carries, does it connect to a solenoid, etc. A designer can easily start off as an engineer with a knack for knowing how humans actually behave.</p>
<p>So, yes, an artistic/humanist frame of mind is essential to engineering in the LARGE sense, and if you structure your resume to your advantage, employers will see that.</p>
<p>“I love math. I love science. I love literature.”</p>
<p>You sound like our S2. He is half way through college and he is on track towards double major (some combination of CS, Math and EE) and a minor in literature/philosophy. </p>
<p>You can do this more easily at larger universities with light core requirements.</p>
<p>There’s always product design (industrial design or mech eng + design) architectural engineering, computer graphics/gaming, human computer interaction, computational linguistics, and the like…</p>
<p>“CS Math Mechanical EE philosophy, and literature!”</p>
<p>Most large universities discourage students from spending more than 4 years to do multiple majors. Majoring in Mechanical Engineering AND Electrical Engineering is very difficult from scheduling perspective. CS+EE, Math+CS and Math+EE are relatively easier combos for double dipping. </p>
<p>I wasnt planning on doubling ME+EE+CS. Im still thinking about my major. Is it possible to take more than 1 intro to (specific) engineering class?</p>