Hey, guys~Thank you for your attention.
I’ve already got admissions from both of the schools, I have no idea which one is better and suitable for me. Friends around keep talking cs, ce, ee but just not chem eng. Is it possible to enroll in USC and then transfer to petroleum engineering?
And what I most concern is finding a job after graduation. It seems it’s quite difficult to get industrial jobs in CA.
Ask the colleges themselves. A graduate program coordinator or any faculty advisor assigned to you in your acceptance letter would be great resources for this.
From my understanding, graduate programs are not very flexible about allowing you to transfer to other programs at the same school. So it may be difficult to start in Chemical Engineering and transfer to Petroleum. Keep in mind that if you transfer programs, the courses you have already taken may not count towards your new degree so you would basically be starting over.
Check USC and UCI’s Career Center’s pages. They usually have statistics on how many students got jobs after graduation, the names of companies that come recruit at their career fairs, any assistance they provide in helping you find a job, things like that. The department’s graduate coordinator or faculty advisor might be able to help you find the information as well.
And just because you went to school in California, you don’t have to work in California. USC and UC Irvine are well known schools so people in Texas or wherever there are “industrial jobs” will know about the universities.
The job forecast for Chemical Engineers is decent, but not great.
“Employment of chemical engineers in traditional manufacturing will decline but demand for chemical engineers in emerging areas such as nanotechnologies, alternative energy and biotechnology will more than compensate, believes the bureau. Moreover, the retirement of many current chemical engineers by 2024 will create favorable job prospects for engineers earlier in their careers, it adds.” http://www.chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2016/chemical-engineers-face-favorable-future/
Chemical Engineers are hired in the semi-conductor industry. I know one chemical engineer employed by Intel here in Arizona.
IMHO, you would be better off with a chemical engineering masters than one in petroleum engineering. My son is an aerospace engineering major at Texas A&M, which offers the top-ranked petroleum engineering degree. Enrollment in the petroleum engineering department is way down from a few years ago when oil prices were high and jobs are not as plentiful. And the energy companies hire chemical engineers anyway, so you would not foreclose that option if you want to work for an energy company.
Thanks…transfrerring seems not like a good idea~
What you said is quite inspiring and thanks a lot~