<p>Hello</p>
<p>I recently went to UCSD's admit day and I loved the campus and definitely feel as though i'd fit in there. Though I do have a problem. I put my major as Structural Engineering because I was leaning toward it when I applied but now I am a bit unsure and after hearing more about the program I realized I'd like to switch. At the presentation they said their classes are only offered one quarter a year so if I were to miss a class then I'd have to wait another year and its really important for me financially that i graduate in 4 years.</p>
<p>So basically I'm looking to switch into Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering(preferably Aerospace) but I've heard they are impacted. Does anybody know what pathways I need to take to switch?</p>
<p>Those majors are impacted, and it is very nearly impossible to switch into an impacted major without an incredibly high GPA through college and a lot of luck. If you really want one of those majors, I recommend you look at another school.</p>
<p>I’m not being harsh, that’s just the reality of impacted majors. Sorry :(</p>
<p>Its not that I really want those majors but after learning more about UCSD’s Structural Engineering program I am not really that interested and would like to switch to something: either electrical, aerospace or mechanical is preferred.</p>
<p>Don’t let the fear of missing one class deter you from doing a major you want to do…
There is one class per year on whatever topic because there are relatively less students going into structural engineering. If there were 1000 kids in it, they would not fill up one or two classes and send the rest off to h ell.</p>
<p>Realizing you would rather work with electromagnetism/circuits instead of fluid dynamics/thermophysics/etc…that’s a different story.</p>
<p>Well - I’m a little torn on what exactly to do. I know I’d like to Double-Major or at least minor in Economics and Math(B.A.), but I don’t feel comfortable doing that as a single major given that it is a B.A. as opposed to a B.S. So basically given that I want to double major/minor in Econ and given the constraints of class structure of Structural Engineering I feel its going to be a lot more time consuming to do that. </p>
<p>Its not that I have a huge passion for Structural Engineering - its just an interest. Aerospace and Mechanical Engieering is also another one of my interests, The Engineering Physics seems like an interesting major to me also.</p>
<p>So basically I put myself into Structural Engineering when I applied but now I realize that is a mistake. I’d like to do engineering of some sort(electrical, aerospace, mechanical) along with my econ double major/minor. Basically I’m wondering if I wanted to switch to one of those majors above how would I go about doing it? Aerospace is what I’m most interested in.</p>
<p>Switching into electrical is easy, you just call them up and say “hey, switch my major”. Or you can do it online. Point being, that isn’t difficult.</p>
<p>Switching into Aerospace or Mech, though, its difficult to the point of being impossible. You have to take all classes necessary to enter the major, which could take as long as 2 years. They admit a very small number of people from a very very large pool, based on your GPA from those classes and your GEs. You need brilliance, and ungodly amount of work ethic, and yes, quite a bit of luck.</p>
<p>If you are concerned about graduating in 4 years, don’t even attempt it. Those majors are impacted for a reason.</p>
<p>Yea, thanks for the advice. </p>
<p>I did some more research and I think I’m going to try to switch into the Engineering Science major which is within the MAE department. Do any of you know anyone that’s taken that major? From the description it seemed as though it is very simliar to mechanical/aerospace engineering and you can choose what you’d like to focus on. </p>
<p>So, say I wanted to switch to electrical, whens the earliest I can make this switch?</p>
<p>when I applied to UCSD last November, I picked the major engineering science kind of randomly, which turned out to be good i guess because i wanted to do something like mechanical engineering (pretty much the exact same curriculum until senior year with a bit more flexibility). i talked to an engineering professor at UCSD a few weeks ago and he said the only down side to the program is that it is not ABET accredited, which means that some careers MAY not hire you as much if you plan on working straight after college. but this is only some companies and most dont care about ABET. but if you plan on going to grad school they dont care at all whether your major was accredited or not as long as you have a good enough GPA and stuff.</p>
<p>as for knowing anyone who has gone through this program, this might be somewhat hard to do. I found a website (sorry I can’t seem to find it now) which said that there were only 5-6 students who graduated from UCSD last year with an engineering science major compared to hundreds from other more popular majors. it seems like engineering science isn’t that popular on campus, but when I asked the UCSD professor why, he said he had no idea and this wasn’t an advantage or disadvantage at all.</p>
<p>this is all I know about engineering science, so let me know if you find someone who has taken it or if you find out more about it =)</p>
<p>^ That is bs. ABET accreditation is arguably the most important factor required for most engineering positions. It is what lets employers know that you went through a rigorous engineering program, and didn’t just do some slack-off program (even if that is not the case! they wouldn’t know). Of course if you got an MIT degree in something which wasn’t ABET, then that would probably be negligible.</p>
<p>If grad school for sure, ABET is not necessary. If industry, ABET will open up a lot more opportunities for you</p>
<p>non ABET engineering degrees can be very dangerous</p>
<p>FROM UCSD’s ABET website:[Home</a> - ABET](<a href=“http://abet.ucsd.edu/default.aspx]Home”>http://abet.ucsd.edu/default.aspx)
“Accreditation enables employers to recruit graduates they know are well-prepared. Many employers in the Aerospace, Civil and Mechanical Engineering industries require their employees to possess ABET accredited degrees.”</p>
<p>Also look into the requirements if you ever want to become a licensed, professional engineer. A lot of states won’t even let you become licensed unless your degree was ABET accredited, and those that will allow it require something like an extra 4-8 YEARS of experience if your degree wasn’t accredited. </p>
<p>BTW I was a math/econ major that switched to structural engineering.</p>
<p>Ugh, yea I was looking to work right after college for at least 2 years and then consider Grad school. I guess Engineering Science isn’t the right path for me - where is a list of the ABET accredited majors at UCSD? If anyone has it - it’d be much appreciated. </p>
<p>Also, does anyone here know anything about Envio Engineering? I’m a little confused on what exactly it is. Also Engineering Physics, because I don’t really understand what Engineering Physics’s encompasses(is it closer to mechanical or electrical)? Also, do a lot of people get dropped from the Engineering Physics pre-major program?</p>
<p>envio engineering is also not accredited</p>