Deciding the Right Engineering Major for You

Deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life at the ripe age of 18 can be pretty scary.  Within engineering, there are numerous disciplines that you can choose to follow here at Penn State.  Personally, I entered Penn State wanting to be a biomedical engineer, but I switched to mechanical engineering and am now officially in the mechanical engineering major.  It’s very common to switch or try out other majors within the College of Engineering.  No matter what your situation is, there are many resources for you here at Penn State.  I laid out some scenarios below as a guide to picking the right major for you!

Scenario 1: As an incoming freshman, you already know which engineering major you want to pursue.

That is awesome! Stick with your passion! But don’t limit yourself!  For example, if you chose electrical engineering when you started college, but you discovered later that you are more interested in computer engineering.  Don’t be afraid to change your mind and look into computer engineering.  The College of Engineering (COE) hosts “Major Nights”.  Pay attention to COE’s emails, flyers, the TV in Kunkle Lounge and in the Engineering Advising Center, your classes, and even at WEP Wednesdays for the date, time, and location of Major Nights in the fall.  This a great resource to utilize if you want to branch out and learn more about all of the engineering majors. 

Scenario 2: As an incoming freshman, you are torn between two engineering majors.

In the COE, you technically start off your freshman year in a pre-major status.  Your pre-major status is simply known as “engineering”. You officially enter your major the spring semester of your sophomore year.  You have to complete certain entrance-to-major classes and pass with a “C” by the end of your sophomore spring semester.  You also have to have a certain GPA by the end of your sophomore fall semester.  These classes and GPAs can be found here with a list corresponding to each major.  https://advising.psu.edu/entrance-major-requirements-college-engineering-2017  If you cannot seem to decide which major you want to choose until after your freshman year, don’t worry.  Most of the first year classes are the same for each major and you can easily change routes up until your sophomore spring semester.  To see which majors you can almost seamlessly switch between, utilize the sample academic plans and flowcharts also provided by the College of Engineering.  You can find these here: https://www.engr.psu.edu/AdvisingCenter/GraduationRequirements/default.aspx 

Scenario 3: As an incoming freshman, you are an undecided engineering major. 

Don’t fret! There is plenty of time to figure out your passion!  As mentioned above, utilize the sample academic plans and flow charts to see what classes to take when and which kind of classes each major requires.  What’s great on the sample academic plans is that you can click on a class, and it will give you a description of that class!  Also, go to the major nights that are also mentioned above.  Lastly, by participating in WEPO, you will create relationships with older women engineering students who have all been in your shoes before.  Never hesitate to ask your Mentor or Envoy a question about majors, because there is a high probability that they will know someone else in WEP that can help you answer your question or share advice with you!

No matter what scenario you find yourself in, utilize all of your resources mentioned above and you will find the right engineering major for you! 

Marie Horomanski is a junior majoring in Mechanical Engineering and is a Mentor for WEPO'16!