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What classes should I take in college to become an engineer?

I am going to college in a couple of years, so I wanted to hear some suggested class that I should enroll in college to become an engineer.

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Michael’s Answer

Hi Ki'yon:

There are different types of engineering degrees to major in while in college. Some of these engineering degrees are Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace, etc. It is best to seek out advice from your High School Counselor/Academic Advisor. Information below will be taking the point from pursuing a career in Electrical Engineering.

While in high school, one will need to focus on science and math classes to prepare for a career in Electrical Engineering. Physics and chemistry will be the core science courses. For math, algebra, statistics and calculus will be needed. Other classes to take will be computer science and applied technology. The combination of these concentrations will enable you to focus and refine your analytical skills; complex problem solving; investigative and innovative critical thinking; attention to detail and observation skills; etc.

Other skills that will need to be built upon center around team building, team work and communication. In any work culture, collaboration amongst team members, partner departments and clients occur on a daily basis. A college course in public speaking, communications and English will help with one's communication and writing skills since analysis reports are generated and findings are presented to colleagues and other professionals who deal with Electrical Engineering. Another recommendation is to seek the advice from your high school guidance counselor and teachers. They can help guide your educational pathway for Electrical Engineering.

According to U.S. News & World Report, here are the top colleges and universities to consider for Electrical Engineering:

- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Stanford University
- University of California (Berkeley)
- Georgia Institute of Technology
- University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)
- California Institute of Technology
- Carnegie Mellon University
- Purdue University (West Lafayette)
- University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)
- Cornell University
- University of Texas (Austin)

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-electrical-electronic-communications

When reviewing colleges and universities, it is best to check the following:

- In-State vs Out of State Tuition
- Internships
- Scholarships
- Career Placement upon graduation
- Course work and offered classes
- Post-Graduate Degrees - Master and Doctoral

There are scholarships based on need, academic performance, school activities, sports involvement and community service. So, it will be to your advantage to seek out these types of scholarships. All of the academic staff at your high school that you interact with can write letters of recommendations for you based on what was just stated above. These recommendations can greatly help when filling out college and scholarship applications.

There will be a application fee to pay for when submitting college applications. The amount of application fee will depend on the college that you are applying to. If there are questions about the college application process, please reach out to the college's Registrar Office.

College and scholarship applications can start to be submitted during your Junior year and will continue throughout your Senior year in high school. It is best to ask your Academic Advisor/School Counselor on the timeline process as well. College and scholarship applications will have specific deadlines and requirements to meet in order to be submitted for review and consideration.

You may want to start to compile your resume/portfolio since a majority of college and scholarship applications will require academic grade point average (GPA), academic accomplishments, school activities (clubs, sports, etc.), community involvement (volunteer, church, etc.), academic and personal recommendations, etc. There may be essay requirements on why you are a qualified candidate to receive the scholarship and acceptance to the applied college of choice, what your future goals are academically and professionally and other questions centering around who you are, your beliefs, etc.

Here are a couple of links for College Scholarships:

https://www.mometrix.com/blog/scholarships-for-college/

https://www.nchchonors.org/students/awards-scholarships/national-scholarships

Also, it will be best to check with the colleges and universities that you will be applying to. You can check with the School/Department of your desired major, the Campus Career Center and the Register's Office for additional information for college scholarships and grants and specific requirements for qualifications.

There should be no limit on the amount of scholarships that one can apply to. It will take time to fill out the scholarship applications and provide all of the necessary required information. Also, there should no fee and no cost to fill out and submit scholarship applications. If there is a fee or cost that is associated with a scholarship application, then please do not send this particular scholarship application in. It will be a scam and money will be lost.

According to Indeed.com, here are some top careers in Electrical Engineering:

- Controls Engineer
- Test Engineer
- Electrical Project Manager
- Electrical Designer
- Sustainability Engineer
- Electrical Engineer
- Equipment Engineer
- Aeronautical Engineer
- Electronics Engineer
- Hardware Engineer
- Software Engineer

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/jobs-with-electrical-engineering

Hope this helps and best wishes for your education and career in Electrical Engineering!
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Angel’s Answer

To become an engineer, take classes in advanced mathematics (calculus, algebra, statistics), physics, and chemistry as foundational subjects. Focus on engineering-specific courses like computer science, mechanics, and electrical circuits. Additionally, courses in coding, data analysis, and technical writing will be beneficial. Don't overlook communication, teamwork, and project management courses for success.
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David’s Answer

Hi Ki'yon, to become an engineer you want to take classes that provide a strong foundation in mathematics, science, and engineering principles. Some math classes that can build your foundational skills are Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Statistics. You want to also take classes such as general physics or chemistry or biology, depending on the type of engineering you want to get into. I also suggest taking some programming classes to get you familiar with the fundamental engineering principles.
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Robert’s Answer

No matter what kind of engineering you want to get into, you will want to take all the calculus-series math classes available to you. (That's Algebra I and II, Trigonometry, Geometry, and if they are available, Pre-Calculus and Calculus.) Secondarily, take any economics, linear algebra, and statistics classes you have as options. Other classes can be very helpful depending on the specific type of engineering you might be considering. Most of these are pretty obvious (take chemistry for chemical and pharmaceutical engineering, biology for biomedical, biochemical, and pharmaceutical, etc.) but here's a partial list to clue you in to some of the less-obvious options for the most common engineering majors:
Mechanical: Obviously physics, but less obviously any shop or drafting classes that might be available to you.
Civil: Obviously physics, but less obviously any class dealing with politics and/or social studies
Electrical: Obviously physics, but perhaps a little less obviously computer science and an electronics shop class if one is offered
Chemical: Obviously chemistry, but less obviously physics and computer science
In taking these classes, keep in mind that while your grades are important, actually learning the content is even more so. (If you don't, you will have to learn the content in the much higher-pressure and faster-paced environment of college!) Also keep in mind that an excellent teacher is as or more important than the subject matter...so if you have the option to take a less-relevant course, say, Economics from a great teacher or a more-relevant course, say Calculus, from a terrible teacher, I would probably steer you toward taking the economics class. Note that in this context "excellent teacher" does not equate to being an easy grader, it equates to their ability to teach the subject matter and make the subject engaging (which usually go hand in hand)!

Robert recommends the following next steps:

Look into the course requirements (at the college level) for the engineering major(s) you are most interested in, and pursue any high school courses available to you that overlap with these. For example, for biomedical engineering the major map at https://degrees.apps.asu.edu/major-map/ASU00/ESBMEBSE/null/ONLINE/2024 suggests you should take any (pre-)calculus math, chemistry, physics, biology, circuits (electronics and/or computer science), and even ethics classes you can.
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