So, I have a problem. I’m currently a first-year student in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan, but I am as yet undeclared in my major. Unfortunately, I have to make that decision by next Thursday, when I schedule classes for next fall, but I have only managed to narrow my choices down to 3 (very broad) fields: Aerospace, Electrical, and Mechanical. Pretty broad, eh?
Anyways, I would greatly appreciate any help in choosing a field, so if you have some experience in any of these areas, please post with any advice you have on how to make this choice. Thanks!
I went for ME because I like working with all things mechanical. Knowing and understanding why things run the way they do. Why to use 1/2" shaft instead of 3/8"? Do you want to know all the calculations involved? That’s a small portion on ME.
I’m just going to respond with a bunch of questions you should answer, and one suggestion.
What courses did you take/are taking this year and which did you enjoy the most?
What are the differences in your course schedule next year, depending on what you choose?
Like Eric asked, what did you do on your robotics team?
Have you done any projects for fun, whether big or small, that weren’t required for robotics or school?
Lastly, talk to your mentors on your robotics team. Hopefully you’ve worked closely with them, and they can help point you in the right direction based on your talents.
I was in the same boat 5 years ago, deciding between mechanical and aerospace engineering. I couldn’t make up my mind so i decided not to, and went with Engineering Science and Mechanics instead (smaller major, only 20ish people graduating here at Virginia Tech with a BS in it per year, as opposed to 200-300 in each AE and ME) ESM focused more on the fundamentals of solid mechanics, fluid mechanics and motion (basically anything you’d do in AE or ME). I’m glad I didn’t lock myself down sooner, because after many experiences, i decided to focus in biomechanics, which AE doesn’t really touch and ME only does slightly.
The University of Michigan I believe has an Applied Physics program, which may allow you to remain a dabbler in solids, motion, fluids, and electrical theory, and set you up with a good background for another field you may want to go into for graduate school, or at least let you take some classes that could transfer over to another department later.
If you’re still stumped, take math classes, they should transfer between any field of engineering. If its a tight race between AE and ME, there should be some classes that they either share or the content is identical so an agreeable department head may let you transfer in one course substituted in for another between departments(statics, dynamics, deforms, introductory fluids, etc). Hope this helps.
Well, ok so you’re first year and you’re undecided? I think that’s a problem many engineering students have and
answering all the questions asked in this thread will help you a lot in picking a path.
I think you’ve done well in process of elimination. That’s one way I chose ME but I also had influence from my dad being an ME. The fact that ME is so broad was one thing that attracted me to it. I think you can pretty much do anything with a degree in ME. In engineering curriculums you typically have electives to take, which can include other engr discipline courses. In many engr disciplines, a lot of the courses are very similar. Some courses between aerospace and ME tend to overlap, whereas there’s an obvious difference between EE and ME. When I was in freshman year, it was all “freshman engineering” that everyone took the same classes (chem, english, physics, math, etc). Then second year you started to get a little more into “engr” classes, but yet most disciplines had a different version of the same classes. Third year is when it really starts to get tailored to your discipline.
It all comes down to understanding what each discipline is about and what you’re interested in. And, since you’re first year, despite what you might think, you still have plenty of time to change your mind. I knew people that switched engr majors their junior or senior year. Not saying that it’s wise, but if you realize that you’re really not happy, then change. It may be easier to switch from some to others because of the course overlappings, but ultimately, just go with your gut and see how you like it.
So they may force you to declare a major, but it’s so that they can get you started in a particular curriculum. But don’t be afraid to change your mind. When you’re in ME, you still end up taking a few EE courses. I think it’s the same in reverse. And I think that a lot of Aero and ME classes are pretty much the same, but with a different spin on it geared towards Aero applications.
I decided to get my degree in EE because I always wanted to know what was inside those little black boxes. For my degree I had to take something like 3 non-EE electives and mine were all in what is considered ME realm of Quality, Six Sigma, whatever you’d like to call it. I also got to narrow my scope as a senior in EE. I ended up taking the controls courses because I like the more cross-discipline nature and it didn’t involve Electric and Magnetic Fields. I’m actually an EE that doesn’t do anything with circuits and now in my job I work with controlling E&M fields. No matter what you choose, you’ll be able to find something you like, and an equal number of things that drive you nuts. In class, E&M drive me nuts, but I enjoy working with them now in application.
At least at UMD, the Aero classes were similar to the ME courses with the aero spin. You just need to be happy with what you select and know that there are many options out there once you graduate. You also need to keep your mind open when looking at jobs, because you never know what you see in class is not always what the real application of that theory.
I was in the same boat a few years ago trying to decide between AE and ME. I actually started AE and took some classes before realizing it wasn’t for me. AE is much more specialized than ME and the jobs are also fewer overall. The thing that really made me finally switch to ME was the ability to do so much with my degree. With an ME degree you are open to many more career possibilities. Of course all of this depends on what you want.
Do you know where you want to be after college?
What kind of jobs you are interested in?
More interested in lab work, design, theoretical?
I hope this helped a little. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.
Aero engineering is a really specific major, and from a lot of what I can tell, if you want to do some real legitimate work that involves the aero engineering, you’re going to need to do get a masters degree. Others may disagree, and for good reason, but you can get practical legitimate jobs with simply a BS in EE or ME. Asking yourself how long you’d like to stay in school is something to think about. In addition, the aero industry is much more dramatic in terms of employment. Either the aero industry is down in the dumps, or it’s not. One thing you may consider is getting a BS in Mechanical engineering and a MS in aero.
ME and EE are very different fields. I decided that EE wasn’t the right major for me after I realized that I’m a very visual person, and circuit analysis wasn’t enjoyable. I found mechanical design and analysis to be something more rewarding. In addition, since mechanical engineering is such a broad field (dare I venture to say the broadest?) I felt that I’d have a lot more job opportunities with mechanical engineer than any other. Unfortunately, in it’s broadness, I’ve come to discover that there are certain aspects which I don’t particularly enjoy either… but it’s something you just have to appreciate for what it is.
I’m sure you have received feedback on this, but I am gonna give my 2 cents as well. I am persuing the undergraduate degree in EE. In all honesty, I think that Aero is a subset of ME. They do very similar work just in different applications. I think that if aero is really something you want to do, get the masters in it. I agree with Matt on this point, and the fact that the aero industry is full on or full off. I have friends in aero who have experienced great difficulties getting jobs or co-ops/internships in the Aero Engineering field. If it were me, I would get the bachelors in ME and the Masters in Aero. Now, as far as EE or ME goes, there is a great difference between the two. I think you kind of have to decide which you like better. For me, I found the circuit analysis classes to be very challenging, rewarding, uniqe, and interesting, that is why I am persuing EE. Now, ME and EE do have some overlap, for examples dynamic control systems. It integrates the field of EE and ME very well because you are using electrical components and circuits to control mechanical devices. Now, you can take many classes on this from either the ME department or the EE department. The ME dept. will give you more of the ME stuff and some of the EE stuff that goes along with it and the EE dept will give you more of the EE stuff and some of the ME stuff that goes along with it.
I think EE is a very broad field as well, it has many different applications. Personally, right now the plan I have is to get my undergraduate degree in EE and get a masters in Biomedical Engineering. Either way, ME or EE are very broad fields that give you a lot of great foundation to pick a specific masters program and focus. If I were in your shoes, my real decision would be either ME or EE.
This was a difficult decision for me as well, between ME and EE. I finally decided EE and I am loving all of it. It’s really interesting, and you get to do and learn a lot of new things. It’s a very diverse field, and I decided that for what I want to do in my future and for my masters degree, that EE would give me the best backing for that. Take some thought and really think about it between the two majors. In all reality, if you go EE, and don’t like it for example, you can always transfer the next semester. I think it’s pretty standard for every ME student to take the intro linear circuit analysis class at every engineering program in the country.
Good luck on your decision, and if you have any more questions or concerns, or more specific questions, post then.
Now, ME and EE do have some overlap, for examples dynamic control systems. It integrates the field of EE and ME very well because you are using electrical components and circuits to control mechanical devices. Now, you can take many classes on this from either the ME department or the EE department. The ME dept. will give you more of the ME stuff and some of the EE stuff that goes along with it and the EE dept will give you more of the EE stuff and some of the ME stuff that goes along with it.
Yeah I also find that this stuff tends to overlap. Though for the Masters program I want to go to (Robotics). They pretty much accept anyone with any degree in engineering or computer science. Though I wonder how did someone with a humanities degree get accepted.
First, throw out any preconceived notion of what you used to think that you wanted to do.
Then, ask yourself “what fascinates me?”.
You should do what you find fascinating, because you will be happy doing it, and you will be motivated and accomplish larger things. This is what I’ve been trying to do when deciding what to do after I graduate college next month.
This is why I switched from computer science to mechanical engineering three years ago.
I like civil to design buildings, roads, and bridges
I like EE for computers
I like Aero because I want to build a supersonic aircraft
I like Biomed because Bio is cool and I want to design a new medicine
I like Nuclear because its cool
I even like Industrial because its cool
Go EE! You can’t have a true geek without the double-e.
In all honesty, you have a rather tough decision before you. Almost every engineering discipline has its own fasciating parts, and each type gets its own perks. The world being the way it is now, I would recommend EE, as the use of electronics will only continue to grow in the future. ME also looks very good, as moving things never goes out of style. =)
I didn’t. I’m a Chem. E freshman at K-State. You all should come to K-state and become a Chem E (that’s my plug as a eng. ambassador and CHE undergrad).
