S25 will be applying to the UC’s and is interested in a non-STEM major, but now says he may be interested in picking up Electrical Engineering as a minor once he lands. Thoughts on this?
Is it even possible to pick up EE as a minor at most UC’s, and if so, would this make working in the EE field even possible without the major?
It will depend on the school and what they offer. For many, minors are only allowed with an engineering major (such as an Aero minor with Mechanical major).
UCD offers a minor, for example.
See more here but you’ll have to look at each school.
The Davis minor is intended for engineers. It requires two engineering prerequisites to get started in the first class, and the full calculus series to start the first prerequisite.
Ditto UCSD, two engineering prerequisites to get into the first minor class, and three calc courses to start the first prerequisite.
Engineering isn’t something that lends itself to tacking minors onto unrelated majors. There are too many cumulative course series required to build competence.
Thank you all - this is excellent feedback. As I stated, I have no information on engineering (and no engineers in the family) so this is very good to know, and we will share with him to digest…
EE at the minor level is probably most useful for someone working in another area but where some knowledge of EE is useful, rather than someone who wants to work as an electrical engineer.
Good to know! He has a strong AP base in Comp Sci/Calc/Physics, so maybe this could be an option. The only (tiny) challenge is admission to UCB to begin with!
UCB is the same as the rest. Math 1a, 1b, and CS 61 are required to get into the first course.
Expanding on what you mentioned, these minors, although possible to add onto an unrelated degree, are really best appended to another engineering degree. They don’t offer enough breadth and depth to be a practitioner on their own.
An example of where this might be the case, a mechanical with a mechatronics interest.