Do you have to be an engineering major to do engineering in grad school?

<p>I feel like engineering can be limiting. I want to get a well-rounded undergraduate education. I want to major in Chemistry and History. I will take all the pre-requisites, but do I have to be an engineering major? Thanks for the help!</p>

<p>Why do you perceive engineering as “limited”? What do you consider a “well-rounded” undergraduate education? If you desire to major in Chemistry and History, why are you interested in engineering, considering you perceive engineering as “limited”?</p>

<p>Major in engineering and learn the other stuff on the side “for fun.” History is definitely something you do not NEED a class for, although it can be helpful. I enjoy history quite a bit myself and am fairly knowledgeable about some aspects of it and I did not take many history courses.</p>

<p>You will take, depending on your choice of engineering major, at least one year of chemistry. There’s a chance you could take further chemistry courses to fulfill science/technical electives or unrestricted electives. The ability to do this will be up to your school’s and department’s policies.</p>

<p>it depends…ive heard of an english major doing mechanical engineering in grad school, but you’ll find it easier if you have a science major…perhaps you should ditch the history major so you can take some CS and physics classes?</p>

<p>A “well rounded” or better sounding undergrad degree isn’t going to help you get into graduate school or get a job. Now is the time to be smart about what you decide to study. Engineering is one of the best skills you could learn in undergrad oppose to liberal arts. History isn’t going to help you very much and there are plenty of courses you could potentially take in chemistry in chemical or materials engineering. If you must you could always take some elective history courses.</p>

<p>I’ve met science majors in engineering grad schools but their undergrad major was somewhat related to their studies in graduate school.</p>

<p>engineering majors can major in anything in grad school other than, say, english or some other language</p>

<p>If you major in chemistry or history with the goal to pursue engineering in grad school…it will be a very uphill battle and frankly it sounds like a silly idea to me. </p>

<p>What exactly is engineering limiting you from?
You’ll waste more time playing catch-up if you take history classes and try get to an engineering grad school, than if you just started off in engineering and took extra humanities classes.</p>

<p>Engineering is a demanding major that has lots of required classes. I agree with fatpig - take extra humanities classes if you want to be well-rounded. It will take you longer to graduate, but doing it your way, you’d have to take extra engineering classes in grad school, anyway!</p>

<p>The term well-rounded education is about as subjective as which school has the best program, etc. There is no one set of guidelines that determines what is “well-rounded”.</p>

<p>To answer the main question…YES a non-engineering undergrad major can enter a graduate engineering program, but usually the undergrad major has to be similar (math, physics, etc) or one has taken enough engineering elective to the point that they can be at least provisionally admitted to a graduate engineering program.</p>

<p>Yes you can go to grad school with a non-engineering undergrad degree. You will have to meet the minimum requirements for the grad school, which generally includes the core math/physics courses.</p>

<p>I’ve seen that people without engineering undergrad degrees get a MS degree while people with undergrad degrees in engineering receive a MSE degree. That is just my school though, it could be different elsewhere.</p>

<p>Chasely,</p>

<p>Methinks that you are at either Purdue or Michigan. Those 2 schools are the ones I know of who not give undergrad non-engineering majors a MS in Engineering degree…only a MS.</p>