Mechanical or Civil Engineering: Which Major is Right for You?

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SUMMARY

This discussion centers on the decision-making process for choosing between Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering as a major. Key points include the distinct focuses of each discipline: Mechanical Engineering emphasizes machine design, robotics, and numerical simulations, while Civil Engineering is oriented towards outdoor structures and infrastructure. The participant expresses concerns about their mathematical skills and social communication, which are critical for both fields. Additionally, job prospects vary, with Civil Engineering having higher demand locally but more competition, while Mechanical Engineering offers diverse opportunities in various industries.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of Mechanical Engineering principles, including machine design and robotics.
  • Familiarity with Civil Engineering concepts related to infrastructure and structural design.
  • Basic knowledge of numerical simulation tools such as MATLAB or its alternatives like Freemat.
  • Awareness of job market trends in engineering fields, particularly in local and global contexts.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the specific curriculum and career paths for Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering.
  • Explore MATLAB and Freemat for numerical simulations relevant to engineering projects.
  • Investigate job prospects and industry demands for both majors in various regions worldwide.
  • Assess personal strengths and weaknesses in mathematics and communication to align with engineering requirements.
USEFUL FOR

Engineering students, academic advisors, and individuals considering a career in Mechanical or Civil Engineering will benefit from this discussion, particularly those evaluating their skills and job prospects in these fields.

yecko
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hello everyone
I am a year one engineering student and soon I need to choose my major, and I am still struggling mechanical or civil engineering.

Background of me:
compared to my engineering colleagues, my memorization, reporting skills (indeed i like oral or written presentation :) ) and physics are better. however, I found my mathematical (especially calculus!) skills, my social skills (like communication with others :( )and i am careless which i am most conservative to choose both majors.

can anyone suggest which kind of personality are suitable on the majors? and what else i should evaluate on in order to choose major?

I have tried to have introductory courses last semester, but it seems they are quite different from what we are going to do after we have chosen our major, which they don't help me with understanding on the majors. like we did almost all memorization on mechanical engineering course, without any calculation or experiment, and it seems to be a geography class for civil engineering class.

anymore precise skills i need to have in order to choose the major?? ~~i KNOW the syllabus:)

moreover, do girls have more advantages or disadvantages on both majors?Background of my program:
both of majors of my uni are ranking twenty something in the world. however civil is ranking third while mechanical is ranking first in my home city.
I don't know why civil engineering is the most popular (and far more popular) subject in my university, but i don't want to just follow the trend unconsciously
regarding job prospect, civil engineering has got higher demand here but there are also far more supply in my home, can anyone tell me more on job prospect in other parts of the world as well??

Thanks for any sharing with me :)
 
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Both programs are good. Civil is more geared toward engineering outdoor structures, buildings, bridges, canals...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_engineering

whereas Mechanical Engineering is more geared toward machine design, robotics, mechatronics, analyzing acoustical environments and doing a lot of numerical simulations and CAD design.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_engineering

You can get some ideas from the wiki articles.

I have two nieces one is a civil engineer and the other a petroleum engineer both have great jobs in the oil industry.

There's also electrical engineering and Aerospace engineering to consider.

All of these majors will probably use Matlab or something similar to do much of your numerical work on so that would be something to get familiar with (there an open source version matlab-like clone called freemat that you can play with).
 
Last edited:
The ME I work with, who is retired from Hughes Aerospace, says MEs make weapons, CEs make targets.
 
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