<p>I have my choices narrowed down mainly to engineering degrees but I am still keeping a business path open. Possibly minoring in business. However, my difficult decision is what engineering branch to major in. I have it narrowed down to Chemical, Material, Computer, Polymer, Nuclear and Petroleum.
Reasoning-
Chemical - Chemistry is one of best subjects in high school
Material - Something that seems interesting to me
Computer - Also interesting, job outlook is supposedly very good
Polymer - My AP Chemistry teacher suggested this one to me
Nuclear - Just interesting
Petroleum - There is lots of money to be made</p>
<p>I know it is a lot of choices but any opinions anyone can offer will help immensely. Also please include suggested colleges for that branch of engineering.</p>
<p>Thanks to all who reply!</p>
<p>I think you will find that all of these, except for computer engineering, build on varying degrees of chemistry and physics. I don’t know if you are in high school or college, but try to think of ways you could learn more about the disciplines you are interested in. Perhaps you could take an introductory course, or sit through a free lecture in the topic on the web (take a look at MIT Open Course Ware), or read about career opportunities. Sometimes local colleges have engineering exploration or career days for high school students. </p>
<p>Computer science or computer engineering can be different from the other disciplines. In particular, computer science can use less physics and chemistry and more logic, math and language. It can require a different skill set.</p>
<p>Try not to choose based on which engineering discipline seems to have the best job opportunities right now. Hiring can be cyclical, but all engineering degrees offer great opportunities and job security.</p>
<p>Completing an engineering degree in four years is a major feat. If you are serious about getting a minor in business, you will probably have to add one year to your studies or you will end taking over 18 units each semester.</p>
<p>My gut tells me that in your case, Chemical Engineering is the way to go. It’s the most versatile of all of the degrees on your list. As far as schools go, you want to go to a school that will not put you in a lot of debt, as most engineering jobs have a starting salary of about $50K per year. What state are you from, and how is the engineering department at your local state school?</p>
<p>I am from Minnesota. I’ve really been looking into Chemical, Materials and Plastics (from my understanding a combination of Chem. and Mat.) The University of Minnesota is supposed to be a good engineering school but the class sizes are too big for my liking. I’ve been looking at UW-Stout but they only have Plastics engineering. Iowa State is the closest one I have found in my area but they don’t have reciprocity with Minnesota. If anyone knows a school that fits please post it.</p>
<p>I agree with other posters and major in chemical engineering. It is very versatile and you can then specialize in materials, polymers, or Bio…even nuclear. Better to get the broader, more general degree…see where your interests and career path takes you, then specialize with a masters or MBA.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Berkeley offers double majors in Chemical/Materials or Chemical/Nuke.</p>
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<p>Actually, Berkeley has [officially</a> supported joint major engineering programs](<a href=“http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/prospective-students/admissions]officially”>http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/prospective-students/admissions) for any combination where (a) at least one is Materials or Nuclear, and (b) the other one is Chemical, Electrical, Materials, Mechanical, or Nuclear. It also has an officially supported Bio and Materials joint major engineering program.</p>