Which engineering major would be considered the most “hands on” besides the science majors like chemical, biological, etc.? Not really found of the science engineering majors so that’s why I’m excluding them.
What does this mean? All engineering majors are based on science. Mechanical is mechanics, electrical is E&M…
They’re all pretty “hands on” in my opinion. They just vary in terms of what you are putting your hands on.
You’ve found a good field if you want a “hands on” major, but you’re going to need more criteria to narrow it down from there.
@bodangles if you read above that I meant as in like chemistry, biology, basically the sciences you study in high school
I was in a similar position where I decided I hated biology and chemistry; but wanted to do engineering because I liked physics but wanted something that wasn’t as abstract as pure physics. I ended up going with electrical engineering because I’ve always liked computers and that was basically what was left after a process of elimination.
I didn’t want to do civil/environmental because that involved going outdoors and I am a very indoors person. Mechanical seemed too broad and math intensive, materials/chemical involved too much chemistry, I hated my Java programming class in high school so CS was out too, and biomedical engineering involved too much biology. So that left basically aerospace and EE. Of which I picked EE because I decided I’d rather make electronics for satellites that an aerospace engineer designed/built than design/build the satellite myself.
So…including physics.
Every engineering discipline is based on a science you study in high school.
@bodangles okay dude, cool, but if you’re not going to bed helpful please don’t respond
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@hisllama I love being outdoors, so I would probably lean more towards one of those majors which would lead to hopefully an outdoors type of job, but I also want to eventually end up a a game developer/programmer so I’m kind of stuck
well, you don’t have to make a final decision quite yet. You can always take classes in CS or civil/environmental or mechanical once you get to college to see what you like. Colleges often have some sort of intro to engineering class or series of classes that are designed to give you a taste of each engineering field. I would say pick a school and read through the course descriptions for the majors they offer and the classes required. Pay attention to the classes that say “required lab” since they are going to have that “hands on” component you are looking for.
You are going to need to pick between being a game developer and working outdoors eventually since I can’t think of any video games that were created while outdoors. And loving the outdoors doesn’t necessarily mean you should work there just as loving video games doesn’t mean you should make them. One can always be a hobby while you’re getting paid to do the other.
If you meant what you said, that you want an engineering discipline that has nothing to do with physics, chem, bio, or any other sort of science one might take in high school, then your options are MAYBE comp sci and industrial. That’s it. Both will require you to take physics, lots of math, and possibly chemistry as a gen ed.
If you didn’t mean what you said, then you have more options.
I know I have to take science classes and stuff, but I don’t want a career that leans more towards science if that makes any sense, I understand these are STEM majors but idk how to exactly explain it @bodangles
More toward science as opposed to what alternative?
Maybe engineering technology?
@bodangles is a VERY respectful poster. It was this sentence that you wrote that was confusing: “Not really found of the science engineering majors so that’s why I’m excluding them.” I still can’t figure out what it means. I’m gathering you mean fond of. Correct? What are the “science engineering majors”? Do you mean Chem E and BME? Engineering is applied science, mostly math and physics. If you don’t like science, engineering is the wrong field.
yes I mad chem e and bme
@eyemgh is correct, engineering is applied science, primarily applied math/physics. @gabrielpatton, in the sense that you’re using the term “science engineering”, every engineering discipline would fall into such a category. Every field of engineering is applied math/science. Mechanical engineering (or aeronautical/aerospace engineering) and electrical engineering are based on math/physics, mainly. Chemical engineering is based on math/physics/chemistry. Civil engineering and environmental engineering are largely the same as mechanical engineering, with some aspects of chemical engineering depending on the particular area. Software engineering and the like are based on computer science, which, in turn, is simply applied math. Biomedical engineering is just an agglomeration of all of the above.
So, you’ll have to be a lot more specific with regard to what it is you’re looking for.
That said, I will disagree with those who say that an interest in science is required for an engineer. Engineering is applied science, but you don’t have to like science to be an engineer. However, you do need to be willing to study science to some extent, and be willing to accept the principles of science which lay the foundation for engineering. Generally speaking, engineers are not scientists (though this line is blurred in academia). Science tends to ask why and how. Engineering tends to ask, what can be done with the answers science has found, in the most efficient way possible?
Have you liked math and physics?
Not offered at every college, but something like construction engineering / management might be up your alley
Hate to break it to you but like all the above posters (who are very knowledgable btw) engineering is just applied science. It’s not hands on at all except maybe in a lab class or in a club. If you don’t like complicated science concepts or math you might be better off in a skilled trade like being a mechanic or electrician or engineering technology which is more algebra based. An engineering career isn’t build and tinker all day.