Looking for a minor with a Civil Engineering major

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around selecting a minor to complement a major in Civil Engineering. Participants explore various options for minors, considering their potential benefits for career development and personal interest.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest minoring in Computer Science for its broad applicability and programming skills, noting that it could provide significant advantages in the engineering field.
  • Others mention that a minor in Math is straightforward and beneficial, as it requires only a few additional classes that can count as technical electives.
  • There are suggestions that minoring in Mechanical Engineering could be interesting due to overlapping content with Civil Engineering, particularly in thermodynamics and material science.
  • One participant emphasizes that while certain minors may be valuable, practical experiences such as co-ops or internships are likely to have a greater impact on career prospects.
  • Another viewpoint is that a minor in Business could be advantageous for those considering an MBA in the future.
  • There is also a suggestion to consider personal interests when choosing a minor, with an example given of geology as a potentially interesting option.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the best minor to pursue, with no consensus reached. Different perspectives on the utility of various minors and their relevance to career paths are presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the choice of minor may depend on the individual's specific career goals, which remain unspecified in the discussion.

Who May Find This Useful

Students in engineering programs considering minors, particularly those in Civil Engineering, as well as those interested in the intersection of engineering with computer science, business, or other fields.

Nick Perrone
Hello,
I am going into my first year of college and going to be working torwards earning my major in Civil Engineering over the next five years. My school offers a chance to get an accelerated minor along with my major and I am unsure what to pursue. I have heard many other Engineers minor in math or business, but would like to know what would benefit my career path the most.
Thank you
 
Physics news on Phys.org
For skill sets, can't go wrong with Computer Science. Being able to program effectively at a level higher than the MATLAB stuff you usually do has a myriad of positives and no negatives. MechE or Physics might teach you some useful stuff. And Math is a lot of fun.

I have a Civil Engineering friend who's minoring in math. He says it's pretty straight forward since you have to take so many courses for the major already. For our school it's only three additional classes to what he already takes, and they count as technical electives towards his major's degree. So that's a good option. MechE would be cool as you'd potentially get to take thermo which is fascinating, especially from an engineering perspective, and a lot of the material science classes you take in Civil will crossover.

Ultimately, almost none of these will really help you negotiate a higher salary or pique employers interests anywhere close to what a good Co-op, research opportunity or internship will give you. So just do what interests you the most. Though once again, CS probably has the most utility and MechE probably has the most interesting stuff that's very applicable to your major already.
 
I would minor in CS if I were you. Even if you don't finish the minor, exposure to the ideas is valuable. Math is a fun minor. Business would be a good minor if you ever decide to earn an MBA.

Other than that, I agree with everything in post number 2. If none of this sounds fun, minor is something you think might be interesting, like geology! Or just take elective classes that sound interesting.
 
Nick Perrone said:
but would like to know what would benefit my career path the most

Then you'll have to tell us what you think this career path is. Depending on what that is, a good answer might be architecture, or management, or materials science, or Chinese...
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
1K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
2K