Hello all!
So basically my predicament is quite peculiar. Throughout my journey in high school, I realized that engineering is what I want to major in. However, I do not know what type to do… I took the usual engineering Ap courses like Bio, Chem, and environmental science. This year I will be taking the Calc BC exam and next year hopefully the physics exam. Along with these AP courses, I took many weighted engineering courses that are provided by PLTW. These engineering courses basically sparked my interest. The thing is in my engineering courses I was the topper in and also Ap environmental science. For the other AP courses I was at the top but wasn’t quite the best in the class. So, obviously put the two together and you get environmental engineering. But my predicament is that environmental engineering is a very unpopular major for engineering. Also, this may sound snotty, but environmental engineering does not have the type of salary as other majors. Also, my indian parents will kill me cause they find environmental engineering as the waste product of engineering as they are both biomedical engineers. So, what can a guy who excels in Ap environmental science and engineering courses major in that is not environmental engineering (Please don’t give me that lame comment like "DOESNT MATTER ON YOUR MAJOR, JUST THE JOB YOU GET)? Please provide a concrete answer!
What major to do that uses environment science and engineering but is not environmental engineering?
Many Environmental Engineering programs are actually Civil Engineering degrees with an emphasis in Environmental concepts. Would your parents be OK with a Civil Engineering degree?
Just because you weren’t at the very top of a class does not mean that you could not successfully major in a particular branch of engineering, either. You might try looking at all the branches of engineering without preconceptions and think about what does and does not attract you to each major.
@Gumbymom They are looking more for like petroleum or nuclear engineering which i believe has some stuff to do with environmental what do you think.
@AroundHere Yeah I know but I guess Im really interested in environmental science and engineering but not environmental engineering lol!
Sounds like YOU are interested in environmental engineering, but your parents aren’t. :-/
Have you had a heart to heart with them? The LAST thing you want to do is choose a field that you don’t like just to make them happy.
One worth looking at is Energy Systems Engineering, but there are only two ABET accredited programs thus far, Wyoming and Oregon State.
Good luck!
@eyemgh I was able to reach a compromise with my parents! They wanted me to become a doctor, and I wanted to become an engineer. I found a medium known as biomedical engineering!
I looked at AP Enviromental Science syllabus - http://www.collegeboard.com/html/apcourseaudit/courses/pdfs/AP-Environmental-Science-Sample-Syllabus-4_Identical-Number-886983v1.pdf It looks interesting, but it seems less quantitative then engineering courses. (Testing - “will be composed of multiple-choice and essay questions” .)
If you think you want to study engineering… are you ready to have intense homework “problem sets” in almost all your classes? You mentioned AP Calc and AP Chem, so the answer may be yes. (AP Bio is mostly n/a to engineering. ) When you get to AP Physics next year that will help you know more about your preferences.
What about the very broad applications of Chemical Engineering? Lake Jr. is a Chemical Engineering major and has a tremendous interest in alternative energy applications, including technologies for conservation/renewable sources.
Classical environmental engineering was the “new” name for the branch of civil engineering known as sanitary engineering. The major focus was water and wastewater treatment. But all environmental projects are interdisciplinary. In the modern interpretation of this field, I think you could work on environmental problems as a civil, mechanical, or chemical engineer. My recommendation would be to some research on the types of projects you would want to be involved in, talk to someone in the field (professors or professional engineers). If you were my kid, I would probably be recommending mechanical engineering, and as you get towards your junior year, you would start to concentrate in areas that you are interested in. You could design windmill turbines, pumps, electromechanical systems to control solar panel movement, engineer parts of an electric car, work on pipelines at a geothermal plant, etc.