Which Engineering Major to choose

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hello!

As my title suggests, I’m still trying to decide which engineering major I should choose. I love the field of robotics, and would like to go into the robotics industry, so I’m leaning towards either EE, CS, or MechE, but I’m not sure which I would chose. I do like the building aspect of robotics a lot, but then again, I also like the idea of coding a robot to make it do what I want it to do. As for the interest in EE, I’m interested in electromagnets, just because they seem really cool to me. Unfortunately, I really dislike the idea of pure coding, (don’t want to be coding if its not related to a robotics project), so I’m unsure about CS - and EE or even ECE seems like a happy medium between coding a building, but requires a lot of math.

While I’m OK with math, and can eventually get it, I have to study quite a bit and don’t particularly enjoy math if it doesn’t lead me to a real world application. I’m doing the VEX Robotics Competition in high school right now, and I am enjoying the building part (we haven’t got to the coding yet!), so would MechE be a viable choice? Or should I keep my options open?

Also, what exactly would a Mechanical Engineer be involved in? Designing the physical components of the robot? If so, how does MechE overlap/not overlap with EE with regard to robotics?

Thanks!

2

Consider EE or ME, particularly ME, and look for programs that offer a concentration (or courses) in mechatronics. In robotics, MEs may be involved in anything from the design and placement of physical components of the robot to writing code for the various aspects of control of the robot, including but not limited to controls related to the dynamics of the robot. An ME may also be involved in choosing or optimizing sensors and electromechanical components (such as motors and actuators). There is considerable overlap, particularly when it comes to controls and the various electromechanical aspects. An EE, of course, would be more likely to be involved in the design and optimization of circuitry and choice of electronic and electrical components. ME and EE often both require a similar amount of programming and coding when it comes to robotics, but like I mentioned above, may also involve the design and optimization of electrical, mechanical, and/or electromechanical components, whereas someone with a CS background will probably not be involved with the hardware much.