Choosing an Engineering Major

College Majors from From Mechanical to Electrical to Industrial

© Naomi Rockler-Gladen

Jul 28, 2007

Have you been taking stuff apart for as long as you can remember? Are you fascinated by how things work? Are you very good at science and math? If so, you might make a great engineer and should consider getting a college degree in engineering. Good engineers are in demand, and entry level jobs are plentiful.

So what kind of engineering should you choose? Here's a quick guide to college engineering majors.

• Chemical engineering majors learn how to use chemical reactions in beneficial ways. They create products that solve hassles for consumers and industry. They also study ways of working with chemicals to minimize danger to consumers and damage to the environment.
• Mechanical engineering majors learn how to use the principles of physics to create machines that improve people's everyday lives. This is a broad field where students learn how all kinds of mechanical devices work, from blenders to cars to roller coasters.
• Aerospace engineering majors train to be rocket scientists-- literally! They learn how to design spacecraft, as well as commercial aircraft, helicopters, satellites, and all kinds of machines that fly. This field is closely related to mechanical engineering.
• Industrial engineering majors learn how to work with businesses and other organizations to make them more productive and less wasteful. They use engineering principles to make all the parts of a system, including employees and resources, run smoothly. This is the most business-oriented field of engineering.
• Civil engineering majors learn how to build civilizations-- or at least the physical infrastructure of civilization, including bridges, dams, and retaining walls. They learn how to work with the natural environment of the earth to build things that won't fall apart or damage the planet.
• Structural engineering majors learn how work with buildings and other structures so that they can withstand outside forces like wind, as well as their own internal weight. Structural engineering is a subfield of civil engineering.
• Electrical engineering majors become experts in electricity and how to use and control it. They learn how to create and maintain electrical devices of all kinds, from telecommunications systems to toasters.
• Computer engineering majors learn how to work with computer hardware and software, as well as computer-controlled devices. They learn both the technical side and the theoretical side to working with computers. This field is closely related to both electrical engineering and computer science.
• Biomedical engineering majors learn how to create and maintain medical devices. They work with everything from pacemakers to prosthetics, and study innovations like tissue engineering. This is a rapidly growing and cutting-edge field of engineering.

See also:

How to choose a college major

Choosing a business major

College freshman year 101

An electronic circuit

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