Is a Double Major in Electrical Engineering and Math Worth It?

  • Context: Programs 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Kevin_Axion
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Double major Ee Major
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the feasibility and value of pursuing a double major in Electrical Engineering (EE) and Mathematics. Participants explore the implications of such a choice on career opportunities, workload, and educational outcomes.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether a double major is reasonable or if it would be better to choose one discipline, seeking information on job prospects with an undergrad degree in either field.
  • Another participant argues that specialists tend to have more interesting work and better pay compared to generalists, suggesting that if a double major can be completed in four years without burnout, it may be worthwhile.
  • A different viewpoint suggests that it may be more beneficial to pursue a Master's degree in one field rather than obtaining two Bachelor's degrees if the double major extends the time in college.
  • One participant notes that completing a double major in Math and Engineering within four years is likely impractical without prior advanced placement credits, citing their own experience with credit loads.
  • Another participant proposes considering a math minor instead of a double major, indicating that a minor could be more manageable and still provide significant overlap with EE coursework.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the practicality and benefits of a double major versus a single major with a minor. There is no consensus on the best approach, with multiple competing views remaining on the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various factors such as university requirements, credit loads, and the potential for burnout, which may influence the decision to pursue a double major or a minor. Specific assumptions about course overlap and personal circumstances are also noted.

Kevin_Axion
Messages
912
Reaction score
3
Is this reasonable or should I just chose one of them? What jobs can you get with just an undergrad degree in math or EE?

Thanks!

Micromass will comment to convince me that I should just do math.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
Obviously there will be exceptions, but in general, specialists get more interesting work, and are paid better for doing it, than generalists.

The reason employers like generalists so much is because they can stick them with whatever jobs the specialists don't want to do, but those are rarely the kind of jobs that win you fame and fortune.

If you can do both in four years without burning out, go for it. But if it's going to take you an extra year, you would be much better off spending that year getting a Master's in one or the other, than getting two BS's, or a BS/BA. I learned that the hard way.
 
Last edited:
It's reasonable, but you might have to spend an extra year unless you take summer classes. Depends on your university though. If it were me I would just major in EE and take as much math as I wanted to on the side. Some things you could do with just an undergrad degree in math are actuarial science or teaching.
 
At my school doing a double major of Math(or Physics) & Engineering would be near impossible in 4 years. Unless you had some serious AP work done beforehand I would say 4+ college credit classes in either Math or Physics, separately, would be the only way to do a double major in 4 years.

I'm an EE major and calculated how many credits I would have in each semester for a minor in Math or Physics. That minor alone brings my semesters to ~18 credits each until I graduate. A major in either would be 20+ credits for 4 solid years. In the major case, it's possible to do that but I know for me personally I wouldn't learn as much as I could when taking that many credits.
 
Have you considered a math minor? In my school, the problem with taking a double major is that it adds a lot of non-science options. Doing a minor only adds 10 courses from that subject, and if there's overlap (which there should be a good amount of with math/EE), that can be perfectly feasible.
 

Similar threads

Replies
3
Views
4K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
4K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
4K
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
3K