0

whilst this is an open ended question, and not really 'on topic' for the site, I couldn't figure anywhere better to post it than on an engineering forum! (I can delete it after I receive an answer if a moderator would like me to).

I'm a high school student in my final year of schooling. As such, I'm beginning to look into tertiary education. I have a keen interest and natural ability in maths and physics. Naturally, such an interest tends me to lean towards an engineering degree. I've taken engineering classes for the last two years and have really enjoyed them. I'm definitely interested in becoming an engineer and at the moment am leaning towards electrical or mechatronic engineering.

However, as i've mentioned I really enjoy Mathematics aswell. The university i'd like to go to offers a dual degree of applied mathematics and mechatronic engineering. Alternatively, there is a seperate degree where I am able to integrate my bachelors, and masters of engineering into one 5 year degree, which saves me money and time. However, the consequence of this is I can't pursue a maths degree at the same time.

So, my question to all the engineers out there is:

How important is a Math's degree to engineering? Or would it be better to pursue a the integrated degree where I can get me postgraduate degree sooner?

May thanks in advance

LogLogLogLogx
  • 113
  • 4
  • In the university, the math tracked fairly well with the other courses. However IMHO it would have been better to have been a year farther along the Math courses to track better with the Physics courses. If you already know Calculus (Integration and Differentiation) you are probably already prepared for the Physics courses. If in US become familiar with fasteners: 1/4 - 20, 8 - 32 and metric for example (Torx, Philips, countersunk, Pan, Allen). Having hands on experience with tools is good (don't tighten fasterers too tightly for the material, torque wrenches, soldering). Many lack this. – Jim Clark Aug 08 '21 at 13:05
  • What is “the integrated degree”? – Solar Mike Aug 08 '21 at 13:32
  • 1
    This looks like an academic guidance question. Such questions often involve personal choice and can probably be better answered by an adviser or counselor. We do not believe this site's format is well-suited to such questions, which are therefore considered off-topic. – Wasabi Aug 08 '21 at 15:26
  • Depends on whether the course is applied mathematics or pure mathematics.... – AJN Aug 08 '21 at 15:27
  • Very simple rule - Unless you have something really specific you are committed to (for example you are 100% sure you want to be an architect), get the highest level education that is available to you, given all the constraints (ability, family finances, life situation etc). If you can succeed in maths or physics at a competitive school, do that. It's common to change one's mind and go to a different path from there in a few years. Somewhat harder to do the reverse. – Pete W Aug 08 '21 at 17:22
  • PS - while many of the same subjects are taught in multiple university departments, they are not taught the same way. For example, thermodynamics looks different in engineering, chemistry and physics. Maths classes will be very different in math vs engr. Mechanics will be different in a good physics sequence. In my opinion, the comments about lack of practical experience do have some truth to them, but it is a trade - you get something else of significant value instead. IMO it's hard to make informed decisions about these things at the age of 17-20, but you have to, to a degree. Good luck! – Pete W Aug 08 '21 at 17:27
  • 1
    There are rare days where I feel like a glorified mathematician! With todays computer technologies, the internet and programs like SolidWorks and Excel, strong math skills for engineering may not be as critical. An university degree shows capability, not ability. Most of what you learn will never be used. Make your choice on what you want to do. For me, an engineering degree is a tad more marketable than a mathematical degree. – StainlessSteelRat Aug 08 '21 at 18:50
  • @StainlessSteelRat Yeah. Seems like the only time math is really useful is if you're learning a new topic from a textbook where it delves heavily into the mathematical theory (or if you're designing something on a level where you actually use the math theory of course, especially when you aren't relying on simulations or software). – DKNguyen Aug 08 '21 at 23:55

2 Answers2

3

This question will probably get deleted as off topic or opinon based, but anyway ... (and of course this answer is just my opinion based on personal experience).

The essential feature of engineering is that it is a practical subject. Theory (and maths) is often necessary, but never sufficient.

To make yourself widely employable, you need the practical (lab and project work) parts of an engineering degree course.

The amount of math you will actually use depends very much on what engineering field you work in. If you are developing digital signal processing algorithms, obviously the math content is likely to be high. On the other hand if you are a civil engineer signing off applications for house-building projects and checking that they comply with local building codes, quite likely high school math is more than enough (though you won't get an engineering degree with only high school level math!).

Having said that, very large (multinational) engineering companies will often hire math, physics, or chemistry graduates as well as engineers, because they can use their specialist knowledge while they are giving them the practical experience that was not part of their degree course.

At the other end of the scale, in small start-up companies it may be that "nobody really has a clue what they are doing," which means anybody has the chance to hustle themselves into a job whatever their educational background - but it also means that most startup companies fail, of course.

alephzero
  • 12,478
  • 1
  • 14
  • 27
3

How important is a Math's degree to engineering

Well, some parts of a math degree are vital to engineering. E.g. Linear algebra, calculus, differential equations, numerical methods. These classes are usually included in both math and engineering degrees. But other math classes are totally irrelevant to engineering. For example abstract algebra (e.g. group theory) would usually be included in a math degree but is not relevant to majority of engineers.

Daniel K
  • 2,646
  • 8
  • 14