<p>It seems nowadays that this major is growing in popularity...perhaps it's due to oil prices...or just the high average starting salary.</p>
<p>But does this mean that it will become an overpopulated major like Comp. Sci is now? Should I switch into another engineering major? I'm still a senior in high school.</p>
<p>I don't think chemE will become overpopulated in student enrollment. I mean it won't reach the popularity of EE.</p>
<p>lol we'll never see the day where it reaches the levels of comp sci.</p>
<p>Not sure where you are getting your info. This is from Engineering Trends 2006 annual report on enrollments:</p>
<p>"First-year and total full-time engineering enrollments, including computer science both within and "outside" of the engineering colleges surveyed, are declining. This report is directed toward the individual engineering disciplines. Nine disciplines were selected for study: aerospace, "biological" (bioeng and biomedical), chemical, civil, "computer" (computer engineering and computer science both within and "outside" the engineering colleges surveyed), electrical, industrial, materials and mechanical engineering. Total full-time enrollments were used to assess historical and current trends; first-year enrollments provided an insight to trends in the near future.</p>
<p>"Aerospace engineering full-time enrollments have been increasing slowly, but recent first-year enrollments have been constant. "Biological" engineering full-time enrollments have been increasing substantially as have first-year enrollments. The first-year enrollment growth rate for fall 2005 was significantly less than the past trend. Chemical engineering full-time enrollments have been constant for the past few years; first-year enrollments, however, have increased slowly in recent years. Civil engineering continues to grow in both first-year and total full-time enrollments. First-year and full-time enrollments in mechanical engineering have been growing significantly since the mid-1990s. However, first-year enrollments declined slightly in fall 2005.</p>
<p>"Both industrial and materials engineering have experienced essentially constant total full-time enrollments for about two decades. First-year enrollments for these two disciplines have been essentially constant as well for almost a decade.</p>
<p>"Computer engineering has undergone substantial declines in both first-year and total full-time enrollments since fall 2001. These declines are expected to continue. Electrical engineering first-year and total full-time enrollments have been declining since fall 2001 and fall 2002, respectively. The rate of decline of first-year enrollments has increased annually. Full-time enrollment declines are expected to continue."</p>
<p>I would not consider a "slow" increase in freshman enrollment but constant in overall enrollment in Chem E as a risk toward overpopulating the field. Perhaps, there has been a somewhat higher increase that will be reflected in this year's report but I doubt there will be anything like a comp sci spike.</p>
<p>I didn't have any official info. I just asked a couple of guys that I met on a trip and they all wanted to major in Chemical Engineering. A coincidence perhaps? </p>
<p>I have heard that it was a very rigorous major however. At Johns Hopkins University, where I will be attending for certainty in the fall, about 150 start in the major and only about 15~20 end up graduating with it.</p>
<p>I will be attending cornell this fall with a major in chemical and biomolecular engineeering. It is usually very rare to see a girl majoring in any forms of engineering and cornell has a 3:1 ratio of male and females in the engineering department. Also, I think chemical engineering is not as popular as comp science engineering because people hate to deal with harmful chemical reagents and comp sci doesn't require much empirical experiments where dangerous substances are involved.</p>
<p>I doubt chE will be overpopulated.</p>
<p>I guess not many people want/can major in ChE
It is NOT an easy major at all.
U got to learn lots of math, physics, Chemistry and some biology.
Other engineering majors usually only require one semester of chemistry and no bio.</p>
<p>I dont say that chE is easier than CS or EE. It's just some many subjects that u need to learn, and they aren't easy. Most ChE students spend more than four year to get a BS degree.</p>
<p>However, if u want get through to graduation, u WILL be in demand.</p>
<p>I doubt Chemical engineering is much harder than most of forms of engineering, if it is harder....it's not because it's broader. Chem and Biology are likely easier than most classes than anything within solid mechanics field of study.</p>