<p>I'm trying to figure out what exactly I'd like to major in for undergrad. I'm a rising senior, and although I know it's still very early (this thread isn't stressed-base, I'm just wondering out of curiosity), I'm looking through all the possible majors offered at colleges. I don't really like biology, I love chemistry, and am hoping to major in some type of engineering + applied math and then head to business school. I feel like civil engineering would be the most interesting, but least profitable. </p>
<p>Any suggestions of the type of engineering major that would be agreeable with my likes?</p>
<p>If you like chemistry, then chemical engineering might be a good choice. Otherwise, if you are not sure, Mechanical Engineering is probably the most general of the engineering disciplines and allows you to go in many different directions. Most engineering includes a lot of mathematics and the curricula are quite packed, so there is probably not a lot of room for an applied math concentration without lengthening your studies.</p>
<p>See if you can meet some engineers and find out what they do so you can get a better idea of what you might like. Many schools will allow you to enter as a general Engineering major and then choose a major after the first or second semesters when you have a better idea of what the individual sub-disciplines entail.</p>
<p>Finally, you say you intend to go into a business program after graduation. I would advise that you either try to find a school that has a 5-year co-terminal B.S. Engineering + Masters in Business or just get the B.S. find a job and then after a few years take a business degree that will best suit your career goals. Your employer might even pay for it!</p>
<p>It is good advice to look around at various types of engineering (there is often a survey of engineering type course that you can take in the first semester). Your preference should count, though - my wife got an M.S. in Civil Engineering and she really wasn’t interested in any other type of engineering, because she really liked designing/building structures.
Civil engineering isn’t the lowest (median) paying branch of engineering, for instance, biomedical engineering pays less. You should also research what new grads are making in different fields, but for college grads as a whole, an excellent source for income information is</p>
<p>From this, the 25th, 50th and 75th income percentiles for Civil Engineers are 57K, 78K and 103K, while those for mechanical engineers is 59K, 80K and 105K, so the salary ranges are really overlapping. One thought: if you do go the Civil Engineering route, a possible business-type graduate degree that would work really well with CE is Construction Management, which is a mix of construction engineering, law and business courses.</p>
<p>Also, I wanted to mention I’m very interested in cars/airplanes/etc, if that helps anyone provide suggestions for a specified engineering major.</p>
<p>For planes, you can look at aerospace engineering programs. However, these are all really variants of mechanical engineering, so a better approach might be to study straight mechanical engineering (more flexible), then perhaps specialize in an automotive or aerospace masters program. I have a friend who is doing exactly that (just got a BME in MechE and is applying to automotive engineering schools for a master’s).</p>
<p>If you want to go into business, best option is industrial engineering (or “imagineering”). It’s the degree for people who want an engineering degree but don’t want to be engineers.</p>
<p>Computer science is pretty compatible with your intended career path (business + CS = unicorns). There are tons of startups and great companies that could use your potential skillset. This would probably also be one of the most profitable combinations, which it seems like you’re interested in ensuring.</p>