<p>im interested in desining buildings or other large structures and im wondering which engineering field would be the best. i want to go to graduate school for architecture but i dont want to go into undergrad architecture because i want a broader base of study incase i end up not liking it. im considering maybe even a financial career. whats the best thing to study in undergrad to keep the options of engineering, architecture, and finance open?</p>
<p>Civil is the way to go.</p>
<p>What kind of design do you want to do? You kind of have two choices when it comes to "designing buildings".</p>
<p>1) Architecture route
Architects are the people who design floorplan layouts, decide what the building will look like, pick out what sorts of cladding to put on the outside of the building, decide where windows and doors and hallways will go, and do more of the artsy things as well as coordinate all the other folks working on the structure in order to get everything squared away and get the structure designed.</p>
<p>2) Structural engineering route
Structural engineers take the pretty pictures that engineers draw, figure out where to put beams and columns, create computer models of those buildings, apply gravity and wind and earthquake loads, and design how strong all the beams and columns and things have to be. I like it because I really feel like I'm getting to take something that was just previously an idea and figure out how to make it work within the confines of reality. There's a lot of math and a lot of science involved, and though I'd considered going to grad school for architecture (and have the portfolio and half-filled apps to prove it), I decided I liked taking a calculator and a pencil and churning out a skyscraper one bit at a time. No voodoo magic, just applied physics. It's tough, but it's honest.</p>
<p>If you want to design buildings but don't want to major in architecture, civil engineering's what you want to do.</p>
<p>If after that, you want to go into architecture, that's fine. Just take a few art courses along the way and have a portfolio of representative works handy for your application. You may have to take a few prerequisite courses, but I know that Columbia's architecture program has a summer program to bring engineers up to speed for the grad architecture program, and I'd bet other programs have the same sort of deal.</p>
<p>If you want to go into structural design, you'll apply to grad school (most structural engineering firms that do large structures only take folks with MS or MEng degrees) and get your masters degree in civil engineering with a structural concentration.</p>
<p>I have friends from undergrad who've gone on to get their MBAs and even their law degrees, too, so it's still a really versatile major, and a good segue into other fields.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Go for civil engineering during your undergrad. If you feel that you would enjoy doing that for a career, then go get a job or a masters. If you don't then go get a M.Arch and pursue an architecture career (or even a structural engineering career if you decide to go back).</p>
<p>If you get a B.Arch first, your options may be more limited because you may have a tougher time getting a master's in structural engineering. M.Arch doesn't really have any prerequisites except probably a portfolio (and you don't need to take any courses for that if you're talented).</p>
<p>yea im thinking i would prefer the structural engineer route. but is there an undergrad major that will let me take classes that help toward a engineering or finance degree. Would it be best to go undecided or major in general science or a general math/science of some sort?</p>
<p>although it sounds like im a sell out, money really does matter. My friends mom is a structural engineer and i don't think she makes that much money. I come from a pretty poor family and i never wanna worry about money again. Also how hard is it to be a part of large scale projects like skyscrapers if your a civil engineer. Is it only top tier engineers that graduate from ivys and the like?</p>
<p>Well if you want to be a structural engineer, you'd have to major in civil engineering. Am I misunderstanding your question?</p>
<p>Civil engineering firms tend to be regional. If you look at a firm, chances are most of the recent grads either went to school in the area or are from the area. It doesn't really matter where you went to school (in terms of prestige/ranking). By the way, top engineers do not graduate from the Ivys. </p>
<p>The ability to get on large scale projects such as skyscrapers heavily depends on where your firm is located. If you're in NYC, it will be a lot easier to be working on a 50 story building than if you're in Boise, Idaho. There are some firms that take on projects outside of their region, but I don't think it's as common as regional firms.</p>
<p>If you don't think a structural engineer makes that much money, then you're in for a lifetime of disappointment. You won't find too many jobs that pay more starting out on average. Maybe some other engineering fields and maybe some finance.</p>
<p>For clarification, how much money are you looking for?</p>
<p>starting out around 50k but eventually i hope to make around 200k</p>
<p>You're not going to make 200K as a structural engineer. Ever. <em>Ever</em>.</p>
<p>200K is a lot of money. I promise you can live a comfortable life on significantly less than that, but if you feel like you need more money than 90-100K, you need to give up on architecture and structural engineering.</p>
<p>Top programs are Illinois, Berkeley, Georgia Tech, Texas, Stanford, Cornell, MIT, A&M, places like that. Cornell's the only structural engineering school that makes the top ten.</p>
<p>Firms tend to be regional, but my Texas firm was pretty pleased to snag an Illinois grad. Ranking bias does goofy things to hiring managers.</p>
<p>And of course, I meant that Cornell is the only <em>Ivy</em> that makes the top ten in structural engineering. (Really shouldn't be posting when I'm that tired!)</p>
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You're not going to make 200K as a structural engineer. Ever. <em>Ever</em>.
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<p>This statement is not accurate... assuming a 4% inflation per year, 20 years from today + an S.E. license you may actually make 200k, maybe more.... :p</p>
<p>so to be absolutely precise let's say you will never make 200K in 2008-equivalent dollars</p>
<p>Starting out at 50k is entirely reasonable in most engineering professions in most areas of the country.</p>
<p>I heard that a competitor of the company I work for offers $150k to $200k for senior project managers. My boss makes over $200k. The catch is that we don't design buildings; we build them (construction management / general contracting).</p>