I am currently enrolled at Colorado School of Mines for Petroleum engineering. With the potential of oil essentially being obsolete or hard field to find work (whether it be because of global warming issues, cheap foreign oil, or the development of a better energy option) I was wondering if it would be a good idea to double major. Im interested in ground water engineering and it also seems like it could be a good field in the future. Only thing is that this would take me another year at of school. Is having a double major in engineering worth it? Can I get jobs in fields other than petroleum if I only get my petroleum E degree? Would having a ground water E degree benefit me at all if I end up in Petro E using that degree? Thanks for any insight
Generally there is no benefit to double majoring in engineering.
A second engineering degree is rarely recommended. It usually takes more than a year (due to the number of courses that require prerequisites). That’s a substantial amount of cost, plus you lose out on one or two years of salary (as an engineer, that’s not insignificant). Also, once you start working in your field, the 2nd degree usually has little value.
A much more common option is completing a minor (and at CSM, a Area of Special Interest (ASI)). Look into it and talk with your advisor at school…
http://inside.mines.edu/Minor-or-ASI-Declaration
If you do want to extend your time by a year or more, you may want to look into a combined BS/MS degree plan.
http://bulletin.mines.edu/undergraduate/undergraduateinformation/combinedundergraduategraduate/
Good Luck!
I;d agree - don’t try to double major. At Mines you need a more credits than most schools just for one major.
The only major I think makes sense for an engineer to pick up is computer science or something with computers, because it is a very transferable skill and provides oppurtunities after you graduate if you want to work from home, travel, ect.