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Ben
Student
Grundy Center, Iowa
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What High School Classes should I be taking in order to set myself for an Engineering program in college?
Being an Engineer is the path I am currently thinking I would like to follow and wondering how to better set myself in High school. #engineer
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3 answers
Maxwell Pereyra, M.Ed.
College Student Affairs Officer, Educational Researcher, Engineer
3
Answers
Los Angeles, California
Updated
Maxwell’s Answer
Being an engineer generally requires a four-year degree (i.e. a bachelor's degree). That being the case, at a minimum, you'll want to ensure you are taking the required courses needed to gain admission into either a four-year university or a community college. Generally, meeting your high school's graduation requirements will fulfill these requirements, but that's not always the case so you'll want to double check. For example, the University of California requires 2 years of foreign language study in high school, but this isn't required to graduate from a California high school. I see that you're in Iowa, but you get the idea - check to make sure you're taking the courses you'll need to meet university admissions requirements for schools you might be interested in.
As an undergraduate engineering student, you will take courses in a variety of subjects, some of which will depend on the discipline of engineering you're in (such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, materials engineering, etc.). Regardless of what college or university you go to, you will probably need to take a lot of math (single and multivariate calculus, differential equations, maybe linear algebra), computer science, physics, and perhaps chemistry, organic chemistry, and biology (as a bioengineering major, I took all of these classes my first two years). Taking high school classes that will prepare you for these subjects - in particular, math and physics - will be helpful as you prepare for college level coursework. If possible, you might consider taking Advancement Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. These are courses at a "college level" that will potentially give you college credit and will make you stand out as you apply for college. For example, my senior year of high school I took AP Calculus BC, which allowed me to skip the first two introductory calculus courses at my university.
I should note that college engineering requirements are generally structured in such a way that it is difficult, if not impossible at some colleges, to graduate early. My senior year, I had to complete a design project that started at the beginning of the year and ended at the end. As a result, it was literally *impossible* to graduate early, even though I entered college with *tons* of AP credits. My recommendation? Take the classes you feel comfortable taking (which could be 15 AP classes or 0 AP classes) because it will work out in the end. If you're hoping to get into a more selective university, I would consider taking these classes if you can.
I'd also recommend that you explore your interests! If you're into coding and/or robotics, see if your high school has a team/club, or if there's a coding program you can get involved with near you or online. Science Olympiad is also a popular high school club that might let you explore your interests. You might also try looking at the websites for the professional societies of engineering disciplines you might be interested in (for example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - IEEE or the Biomedical Engineering Society - BMES). There's also a ton of great lectures online/on YouTube that discuss engineering topics you might be interested in. You might not understand everything they're saying, and that's ok - you'll learn in college! But it'll hopefully give you a sense of whether or not this is the right path for you.
Make sure and take the required courses you'll need to gain admission to a college/university (check each college's requirements).
Take courses in math and science - in particular, consider taking calculus or pre-calculus to prepare you for college-level math.
Consider taking AP/advanced classes in order to set your application apart if you're considering applying to more selective universities and if you feel ready.
Look into opportunities to explore your interests, such as robotics club, coding club, or Science Olympiad.
Consider looking into online resources, such as websites for professional engineering societies and YouTube videos about engineering topics.
As an undergraduate engineering student, you will take courses in a variety of subjects, some of which will depend on the discipline of engineering you're in (such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, materials engineering, etc.). Regardless of what college or university you go to, you will probably need to take a lot of math (single and multivariate calculus, differential equations, maybe linear algebra), computer science, physics, and perhaps chemistry, organic chemistry, and biology (as a bioengineering major, I took all of these classes my first two years). Taking high school classes that will prepare you for these subjects - in particular, math and physics - will be helpful as you prepare for college level coursework. If possible, you might consider taking Advancement Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. These are courses at a "college level" that will potentially give you college credit and will make you stand out as you apply for college. For example, my senior year of high school I took AP Calculus BC, which allowed me to skip the first two introductory calculus courses at my university.
I should note that college engineering requirements are generally structured in such a way that it is difficult, if not impossible at some colleges, to graduate early. My senior year, I had to complete a design project that started at the beginning of the year and ended at the end. As a result, it was literally *impossible* to graduate early, even though I entered college with *tons* of AP credits. My recommendation? Take the classes you feel comfortable taking (which could be 15 AP classes or 0 AP classes) because it will work out in the end. If you're hoping to get into a more selective university, I would consider taking these classes if you can.
I'd also recommend that you explore your interests! If you're into coding and/or robotics, see if your high school has a team/club, or if there's a coding program you can get involved with near you or online. Science Olympiad is also a popular high school club that might let you explore your interests. You might also try looking at the websites for the professional societies of engineering disciplines you might be interested in (for example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - IEEE or the Biomedical Engineering Society - BMES). There's also a ton of great lectures online/on YouTube that discuss engineering topics you might be interested in. You might not understand everything they're saying, and that's ok - you'll learn in college! But it'll hopefully give you a sense of whether or not this is the right path for you.
Maxwell recommends the following next steps:
Thanks for the advice!
Douglas Lemmo, P.E.
Consultant, Owner at Power Generation Consulting Services
132
Answers
Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Updated
Douglas’s Answer
Hi,
It is really quite simple. take all of the math and science courses you can and get good marks in the ones you take. Certainly: physics, chemistry biology and for math: if your school as calculus, at least one or two courses in that. Your high school guidance counselor should be able to help you select appropriate classes.
To be an engineer you do not have to love math, but you must be able to do math.
Good luck,
Doug
It is really quite simple. take all of the math and science courses you can and get good marks in the ones you take. Certainly: physics, chemistry biology and for math: if your school as calculus, at least one or two courses in that. Your high school guidance counselor should be able to help you select appropriate classes.
To be an engineer you do not have to love math, but you must be able to do math.
Good luck,
Doug
Marjory Hockaday
Global Operations Engineer
2
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Marjory’s Answer
Hi,
Start looking at curriculums for the engineering degree/school you are interested in. Some states (like Texas) offer dual credit classes in high school, meaning you can get high school and college credit at the same time for a given course. Most likely you will need advanced math and science classes like calculus, physics, chemistry, biology.
Good luck!
Start looking at curriculums for the engineering degree/school you are interested in. Some states (like Texas) offer dual credit classes in high school, meaning you can get high school and college credit at the same time for a given course. Most likely you will need advanced math and science classes like calculus, physics, chemistry, biology.
Good luck!