Ma
Economics+ Civil Engineering, Double degree, is it worth it?
So, I'm a sem3 final year A2 Level student from Malaysia and I'm thinking of pursuing Civil Engineering later in Uni. I have thought of diverging into the finance/ economics line, and have considered getting a CFA or Masters in Econs, as Economics is one of my favourite subjects. I also like Engineering equally as much because it is Math intensive, and covers my comfort subject, Physics. The question is, should i really do a double degree in Economics and Engineering? Is it really worth it, and is the workload going to be astronomically impossible? (the hashtags are just for easier reference) #engineering #economics #double degree #civil engineering #university #NTU
3 answers
Stephanie Zawada
Stephanie’s Answer
Hi!
I first started to pursue a STEM degree and a business major, too. I have to say that you will likely pick one over the other, because scheduling your classes to graduate in 4 years will be nearly impossible as many engineering courses require labs. These labs often run from 3 to 5 hours long.
While economics is exciting, it is a less intensive degree. If you complete the engineering prerequisite courses first, you can see if you prefer engineering to economics without losing time. Economics courses are more flexible with regards to time commitment, so you can always switch to an economics degree with an engineering minor after that.
An engineering bachelor's degree with a minor in economics is common at school. It helps you to have a working understanding of both the practical business aspects of engineering as well as the intensive STEM knowledge required to understand engineering design and principles.
Focus on getting the best grades possible and exploring research opportunities. You could major in engineering and join an economics research lab - or major in economics and join a civil engineering research lab. The possibilities are endless. Reach out to faculty at your school and see what your best options are! Good luck!
Justin Zhang
Justin’s Answer
Hi Ma,
Short answer is total worthy! Learning is always more beneficial long term. But you need to finish within short period of time without delaying your primary major, because the value of your degree depreciate faster than it used to be. For engineering degree, my personal experience is the degree will be depreciated within 5 years. Economic degree may be faster. So you need to determine once the school grand your degrees, you will get out of the most from your degrees.
Sometimes multiple degree can be also a drag if you spend too much time of studying and have hard time to graduate, it may signal you unable to perform multiple tasks in one time. So be aware of it.
Alexa Jeong
Alexa’s Answer
I also know a friend who majored in engineering, and worked as a engineer. But after while, she decided to go back to school to study finance and CFA to transfer her career to investment/securities field. So the critical point is to decide what kind of work you'd like to do. I understand this is hard until you have a chance to work actually. And when you actually start working, you probably change your preference.
So decide major considering jobs you want. When you study, try to get internship where you want to work for in the future. If the internship changes your mind, you can find your way to get there then.