What's the better engineering Major?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Between Mechanical and Aeronautical? Sorry but the search keeps BSing me so I thought I just ask the question</p>

<p>I talked to a guy who grauduated with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering and he said its better I choose one because double majoring is pretty difficult but I thought Mechanical engineering and Aerospace overlap so Doubling shouldn't be so hard right?</p>

<p>What's better in terms of course work?
What's more difficult?
What's more hands on?
What pays better to undergrads?
What pays better to graduate students?</p>

<p>Stupid Question: If I'm an Engineer could I build an engine from scratch with funds and such? Since I know how it works and why it should be possible right?</p>

2

<p>[PayScale</a> - Aeronautical Engineer Salary, Average Salaries](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Aeronautical_Engineer/Salary]PayScale”>Aeronautical Engineer Salary in 2024 | PayScale)</p>

<p>[PayScale</a> - Engineering Starting Salaries, Mechanical Engineering](<a href=“http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Mechanical_Engineer/Salary/by_Years_Experience]PayScale”>Mechanical Engineer Salary in 2024 | PayScale)</p>

3

<p>Not much difference right away, the differences become more pronounced as time goes on–aero pays more. I’d make sure you got a degree in aerospace engineering, not just aeronautical.</p>

<p>I’d love to work on space craft, and way back when I wanted to be an aerospace engineer first and foremost, but the more I looked into it the more I saw computer engineering was right for me. The way things are now, most of your employers will be defense or NASA contractors, and if you want to work on your own designs you ought to go for at least a MS if not a PhD.</p>

4

<p>What’s the difference between Aeronatical and Aerospace? I mean I understand Aeronautical is more focused on airplanes but I thought that if you majored in Aeronautics then you are getting an Aerospace degree?</p>

<p>Isn’t Aerospace more general? I wanna work on Jet engines and Propulsion systems but I’d love to know how Space ships fly and how to design em but the way it seems now eveyone I’ve went to said I had to specialize in a certain field/aspect of Aerospace so I chose Aeronautics.</p>

5

<p>Most departments teach aerospace engineering (I googled but couldn’t find many colleges that teach just aeronautical, this ain’t the 1940s), but I imagine the bulk of your training will be in aeronautical engineering unless you specifically majored in space systems. Most engineering colleges also have specialization tracks (i.e. electrical engineering with an emphasis on communications systems, or mechanical engineering with an emphasis on automotive systems, etc.), or let you decide how to specialize via technical electives in your department. You don’t have to sweat it yet, any ABET-accredited engineering college requires about a year-and-a-half of math and science (as well as some general studies) before you can officially become a specific engineering major. You’ll be taking the year-long calculus sequence, a two-class calculus-based physics sequence (makes high school physics look like mickey mouse stuff), possibly chemistry, etc. More likely than not you will have to take a few other advanced math classes like a class just on differential equations, linear algebra, etc.</p>

<p>Different requirements for different majors, I honestly don’t know what’s required in mechanical or aerospace in terms of math beyond the traditional year-long calc sequence (I know aerospace and mechanical are heavy on Newtonian physics, and aerospace is heavy on fluid dynamics and thermodynamics). Make sure you’re getting an engineering degree and NOT an “engineering technology” degree, like you get at Devry, I think in this economy it’s just not worth getting a half-way degree like an ET degree.</p>

<p>Have you already picked out a school or schools? Look at their majors, look at the curriculum for each major, read the class descriptions, look at the textbooks you’ll be reading, talk to people who have graduated with those degrees to get the best feel possible for what you’d be getting into.</p>

<p>Neither one is a bad choice, but learn more about each and decide which one you really want to do. Aerospace pays more in the long run but if you ENJOY mechanical more (and they are related fields, not unlike computer and electric) then major in that if your enjoyment would be worth more than the extra money aerospace would give you (twenty years after you graduate).</p>

6

<p>Well I want to do Mechanical for Automotive because a college fair guy informed me that there is no Automotive engineering field and that Automotive engineering is just a deeper field within Mechanical and I like cars.</p>

<p>I want to do Aerospace because I always wanted to do something that involves the Sky,flying, and speed but flying an aircraft isn’t for me because I wanna understand how everything works and why it works that way.</p>

7

<p>i’d imagine getting into automotive industry is now harder than getting into google. </p>

<p>i think ZERO automotive companies came to cornell this year. who’s hiring?</p>

8

<p>The automotive industry in this country is on life support (even the jillions of foreign-owned car factories in America–you know, the non-union, competently-ran ones–are having hard times), so while you may love cars, I’m afraid the economic as well as political situation may hamper your dreams there. I’m not dissuading you, just giving you an accurate picture of what you’re facing. Bear in mind many aerospace engineers also work on cars. Their aerodynamic skills come in handy on racing cars, exotic sports cars, and the like. Lots of overlap between mechanical and aerospace.</p>

<p>Nothing stops you from working on car designs on your own time while doing something better paying in aerospace.</p>

<p>Heck, you could invent the flying car, finally.</p>

9

<p>

</p>

<p>What most people miss is that double majoring doesn’t mean picking up a few classes - it varies from school to school, but most of the time, a double major in engineering means that you need 90 additional credits for the second major. So, that increases an engineering degree from about 130-140 to 210-220. So you’re talking about a 6 year undergraduate degree.</p>

<p>Considering that a non-thesis MS takes about 30 hours and can be done in a year at many schools, does it really make sense to have a BS in AE and ME when you can save a year or two and have a BS in ME and an MS in AE? </p>

<p>In addition, it really doesn’t matter. In practice, after 5 years or so, ME’s, ChE’s, AE’s, etc will all do similar work. The issue is more subject matter expertise (i.e. airline manufacturing) than college degree. The same goes for academics - your degree will determine your home department in many cases, but you can research and publish where ever you’d like.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>What do you like about cars? Do you want to put a car into a wind tunnel to minimize the drag on the frame, or do you want to build the engine/transmission? Or maybe you want to design interiors?</p>

<p>That will determine the type of engineer. Like anything, cars are made by multiple types of engineers that each design a specific component or portion of the car.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Very true. However, other industries are not. If he wants to design engines, there are plenty of large construction and farm equipment manufacturers that are doing well, for example.</p>

<p>

Define “better”.</p>

<p>It will depend on your strengths. Personally, I thought the “easy” art history elective at my class more difficult than quantum physics, because critiquing art is not my strength.</p>

<p>How “hands on” the degree will be will depend on your career path. There are some AE’s that spend 9 hours a day in front of a computer, and some that spend 9 hours a day outside in the field. The same can be said for ME’s. </p>

<p>What “pays better” depends. The top AE graduates tend to do better than the top ME graduates, but the middle-of-the-road ME graduates do better than the middle-of-the-road AE graduates. Also, if you’re an AE, you want to graduate from a top 10 school, as jobs become scarce quickly as you move down the ladder. The phenomenon is less pronounced for ME’s.</p>

10

<p>G.P Burdell is right on the ball!</p>

<p>In terms of double majoring, even IF your school allows you to do so, the upper division classes won’t double-dip. Sure, the lower division thermodynamics and math could be taken at either department but when you start taking the specialty courses such as Mission Design or Thermal-Fluid systems, you’ll find very little over lap. A double major would take substantially more time and would be hell to get through–completing two simultaneous senior design projects will be hell!</p>

<p>It’s hard to define “better” but in terms of hand on, I’d say that Mechanical has an edge. As GP said you can be MechE and work for an ASE company, sure you might not work with the avionics but jet engines and other equipment are just as important.</p>

<p>Personally, I’m in favor of earning a B.S in MechE so you have a strong foundation and then getting a MS or MEng in ASE.</p>

11

<p>Engines mostly. Hand on as in I’d like to actually work with what I’m designing not just sit there and watch a computer modelling what should be done.</p>

<p>I know this may sound lame but I’d love to test the engine I’m building and see how it works.</p>

<p>Another question Can an Engineer do a mechanics job? I ask because my math teacher’s husband has about 4 cars and 1 of them he stripped and is is restoring himself and he has a PHD in Chemical engineering. So I’m wondering does his skill in Engineering help him fix cars?</p>

<p>Is there any test that can help me determine what engineering type I am?</p>

<p>Well Better as in harder and more fun.</p>

<p>@G.P but if anything I want to know more about AE than MS and won’t I be playing catch up if I just try and MS in AE with a BS in ME?</p>

12

<p>Well I just read SUNY’s website and wondered if I can do that BS in both and do Automotive engines design and etc for one and do Jet engines and Propulsion for the other?</p>

<p>further down when I’m done with the prereqs.</p>

13

<p>

No. Engineering and being a mechanic are only tangentially related.</p>

14

<p>You won’t really have a lot of catch up going from MechE to ASE as a graduate student. For the most part, graduate engineering (ChemE/MechE/ASE) are very cross-disciplinary and you’ll see different majors in your classes. I had a handful of ASEs and ChemE in my Thermodynamics class.</p>

<p>Next, you typically have to take a graduate “core” that gives everyone a firm foundation for their studies. While the ASE UGs might know the material a little better you won’t really be at a disadvantage since MEs cover some of the material as well. Sure, you might not have covered hypersonic flow in UG fluids but the core classes will be based off the same principles.</p>

<p>I believe you would be grossly over-qualified and ironically under skilled to get a PhD in Mechanical Engineering/ASE and then trying to go into a mechanic or technician role. A PhD is an academic and research degree first and therefore your degree of “hands on” really varies. </p>

<p>For example, I can probably characterize the velocity and pressure profiles of the exhaust in a car and then build a CFD model to help optimize back-press losses but if you ask me to install a new a super charger, I’ll be out of luck.</p>

15

<p>Well I can understand that but maybe its because he runs his own bussiness that he can fix cars but I just want to be able to fix and build my own car but not have to go get a certificate or do classes for it.</p>

<p>I want to be an engineer first but one of my main hobbies is as a car lover so I’m thinking an Engineer deal with engineers and such would be able to do it with no prob since they know why and how it work and even could design it.</p>

16

<p>

</p>

<p>You don’t have to be an engineer or certified mechanic to build a car. I know 16 year old kids that bought beat-up old cars, tore them apart, and rebuilt them.</p>

<p>Engineering classes will not involve sitting in a classroom taking things apart. Engineering classes will involve learning the thermodynamic properties of an engine, how to calculate efficiency, and how to design new engines to maximize certain aspects of performance. None of those things are done in building a car unless you are designing the engine (which no one does - you purchase a pre built engine and install it).</p>

17

<p>If you want to learn how to build cars you need to spend some time in a garage physically taking out equipment and physically installing it. </p>

<p>Of course an engineering degree might give you better insight into how something works but it will by no means prepare you on how to put it together.</p>

18

<p>why don’t you just minor in aero? you just so yourself - you don’t want to know EVERYTHING, just general functions, operations, etc.</p>

<p>at NYU-Poly, which disclaimer - is my college - you can easily major in mechanical and minor in aero. This is actually a very popular choice here. and Poly has taught NASA astronauts, one of which has taught at NYU-Poly and is supposed to again next year.</p>

<p>so, don’t necessarily double major. thats my advice. minoring, for now, sounds good.</p>

19

<p>At Cal Poly double majoring in Mech/Aero would take 6 years.</p>

20

<p>So what is this “hands on” guys talk about? I thought by being able to design an ngine I can basically build one.</p>

<p>Is hands on walking outside and checking to see if the technicans done there job right(like on the SCI channel)? I thought it was like designing each component and putting them together ourselves then testing them to see if they work?</p>

<p>I really don’t want to be a supervisior over the mechanics I thought I’d actually get my hands dirty.</p>