Which Engineering Major Should I Choose

Engineering can be broken down into many subcategories and fields. Most large colleges offer most primary Engineering majors along with some specialized majors. Or you can pick a specific concentration within a major. Many colleges let you build your own specific concentration, combining courses from multiple departments. Many colleges also combine Engineering with Business majors. 

Primary Engineering majors include:

• Mechanical Engineering

  • Focuses on systems, machines, structures, tools and any type of systems that involve motion. Mechanical engineers apply the fundamentals of science and math to create practical, useful solutions that the rest of us can use. So their career choices are immense. You might want to test materials or machines in real-life applications to ensure they’ll withstand design requirements. Or invent fantastic devices to sort cells or aid disabilities. Or any number of possible careers involving the design or application of thermodynamics, turbines, reactors, engines, energy — the list keeps growing.

  • Some colleges offer separate related majors such as:

    • Aerospace Engineering - Aeronautical engineers generally design aircraft to fly within the Earth’s atmosphere, while astronautical engineers design the technology for spacecraft to fly beyond the atmosphere.

    • Nuclear Engineering - Nuclear engineers lead the research and development of processes using nuclear energy and radiation to produce electricity, power spacecraft and advance medicine.

    • Robotics

    • Automotive Engineer

    • Nanotechnology

    • Mechatronics

    • Thermal Systems

• Industrial Engineering & Operations Research

  • Industrial Engineering & Operations Research combines two disciplines focused on the operation of complex systems. Students learn statistically rooted frameworks to model and solve systems-level engineering problems. Industrial Engineering is about making people and processes safer, more efficient and more effective. Operational researchers use their analytical and creative skills to develop better systems and operational procedures. 

  • Some colleges offer separate related majors such as:

    • Manufacturing Engineering

    • Supply Chain Engineering

• Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Computer Engineering

  • Electrical engineering & Computer Engineering is deeply involved in high science, particularly physics. You make things — or make them better. Things like solid-state circuits, microwave electronics, quantum and optical electronics, large-scale networks and systems, or computer-aided design — and those are just a few possibilities. Typically, electrical engineers will focus on products that generate or transmit electricity or that use electricity as a power source. They might design, assemble or test new devices anywhere from the semiconductor to the aerospace industries.

  • Some colleges offer separate related majors such as:

    • Computer Engineering - Computer engineering is a branch of computer science and electronic engineering that integrates several fields of computer science and electronic engineering required to develop computer hardware and software. Typically Computer Engineering degrees offered by Electrical Engineering departments are more focused on computer hardware technology, in addition to computer software and programming work.

    • Embedded Systems - An embedded system is a specialized computer system — a combination of a computer processor, computer memory, and input/output peripheral devices—that has a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electronic system.

    • Communication Systems & Networks - The networking specialization involves the building and daily maintenance of computer network systems. These networks generally include several components, including an extranet, intranet, wide area network (WAN) and local area network (LAN). 

    • Information Technology - Information technology is a diverse specialization, often dealing with the implementation and maintenance of technology and information systems. They may help secure and troubleshoot computer systems, applications, hardware and software for other employees. 

    • VLSI Engineering

• Computer Science

  • Computer scientists use technology to solve problems. They might write software to achieve new things or do them faster. They create applications for mobile devices, develop websites or program software. And they can work anywhere, from startups and nonprofits to big tech firms and government agencies.

  • Computer Science related majors are often offered by non-Engineering departments, such as Letters and Sciences. These majors mostly focus on software related aspects.

  • Some colleges offer separate related majors such as:

    • Software Engineering - Software engineering is an engineering approach to software development. A practitioner, called a software engineer, applies the engineering design process to develop software. 

    • Computer Programming - Computer programming or coding is the composition of sequences of instructions, called programs, that computers can follow to perform tasks. It involves designing and implementing algorithms, step-by-step specifications of procedures, by writing code in one or more programming languages.

    • Cyber Security - Computer security is the protection of computer software, systems and networks from threats that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, theft of hardware, software, or data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.

    • Web Development - Web development is the work involved in developing a website for the Internet or an intranet. Web development can range from developing a simple single static page of plain text to complex web applications, electronic businesses, and social network services.

    • Game design - Game design is the process of creating and shaping the mechanics, systems and rules of a game. Games can be created for entertainment, education, exercise or experimental purposes. Additionally, elements and principles of game design can be applied to other interactions, in the form of gamification. 

    • Artificial Intelligence - Artificial intelligence focuses on giving machinery, computer databases or robotics the ability to learn, process and otherwise operate independently of humans. In an AI concentration, you'll study human-computer interactions, natural language processing, and machine learning. 

    • Data science - Data science is an interdisciplinary academic field that uses statistics, scientific computing, scientific methods, processing, scientific visualization, algorithms and systems to extract or extrapolate knowledge and insights from potentially noisy, structured, or unstructured data.

    • Human Computer Interface

• Civil Engineering & Environmental Engineering

  • Civil engineers design, plan, build and manage physical structures, including buildings, bridges, roadways and dams. They might work for a government agency or corporation, or own a construction firm or consulting company. Environmental engineers provide solutions for safe air quality and drinking water, waste management and cleaning up contamination or hazardous wastes. 

  • Some colleges offer separate related majors such as:

    • Environmental Engineering

    • Transportation Engineering

    • Architectural Engineering

    • Structural Engineering

    • Wastewater Engineering

    • Geotechnical Engineering

    • Water Resources Engineering

• BioEngineering

  • You’re equally intrigued by electronics and biology. Or you want to invent revolutionary biocompatible medical implants. Or you’re interested in the intersection of information technology and pharmaceutical development. Or any number of the infinite possibilities that come from applying engineering to biological systems. Bioengineering is a growing discipline, and much work in this area involves research and development. Genetics, nanotechnology, medical devices and tissue engineering are just a few of the many professional outlets for bioengineers.

  • Some colleges offer separate related majors such as:

    • Biomedical Engineering

    • Biomechanics

    • Biochemical

    • Bioinstrumentation

• Material Science & Engineering

  • Materials engineers combine scientific innovations with real-world applications to exploit the most desirable properties. In some cases, a new or improved engineered material can spark an entirely new industry or invention.

  • Some colleges offer separate related majors such as:

    • Biomaterials

    • Optics

    • Ceramics

    • Energy

    • Material Processing

• Chemical Engineering

  • Chemical Engineering offers students solid preparation for professional work in development, design, and operation of chemical products and processes. It prepares the student for employment in such industries as chemical, petroleum, electrochemical, biochemical, semiconductor, nuclear, aerospace, plastics, food processing, or environmental control.