<p>I just got accepted to UC Berkeley's college of Chemistry for Chem major, and I recently signed my SIR. However, I change my mind pretty easily and now I'm kind of leaning towards BioE. I was just wondering how hard it is or if it is possible at all to switch majors from Chem to BioE.</p>
<p>[Change</a> of College (into COE) ? UC Berkeley College of Engineering](<a href=“http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/current-undergraduates/change-of-college]Change”>Change of college - Berkeley Engineering)</p>
<p>It may be easier to change to chemical engineering, since that is in the same division (College of Chemistry).</p>
<p>I agree with UCB Alum, CoE is pretty difficult to get into from what I am reading. If you are interested in post-grad opportunities in each major, check this out: </p>
<p><a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Bioengr.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Bioengr.stm</a>
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Chem.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Chem.stm</a>
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/ChemEngr.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/ChemEngr.stm</a></p>
<p>These are surveys of graduated students and their career paths. Depending on if you would like to go to graduate school or enter the workforce, I think that the surveys can help you understand the scope of your major. </p>
<p>I’m not an expert by any means – I’m a student just like you who wants to switch majors. I’m learning with you!</p>
<p>This is a fairly easy change as the two majors share similar lower-div prereq -</p>
<p>Physics 7</p>
<p>Chem 4 subs for Chem 1</p>
<p>Chem 112 subs for Chem 3</p>
<p>Math up to 54</p>
<p>On a personal level, I would recommend staying with Chem. Upper div BioE courses are usually content-isolated, meaning you can easily take them as long as you have the lower-divs completed.</p>
<p>I took some 4-5 upper div BioE when I was at Cal and found the experience rewarding. It is undeniable, though, that Chem is more rigorous and the faculty stands the higher caliber.</p>
<p>Understand that BioE is VERY multidisciplinary, and essentially, an application of other core disciplines. You’ll find that much of the most productive and innovative research in the field is done by those with chemistry, physics, engineering, and CS backgrounds. </p>
<p>The major itself is largely a survey. The courses get limited by the lack of buildup in the curriculum. It’s too many different subjects covered by too few classes and in too little time.</p>
<p>The field and the major are still in their infancy. It’s exciting and chaotic times for those interested in applied medical science. The growing pains seem to extend to the department (VERY well-funded by the way), which is still trying to build up academic rep and focuses a lot of its efforts on attracting pre-med students.</p>
<p>For you as the prospective student, that means BioE is great if you want a high GPA, relatively lenient courses, and a gentle glimpse into new research topics.</p>
<p>If you want to pick up fundamentals and get more rigorous training under your belt, it’s probably better to stay in Chemistry and take BioE courses as electives.</p>