Cristina, San Juan, Puerto Rico AddedTuesday, August 12, 2014 at 11:00 PM Can I combine chemical and mechanical engineering? I'm currently a mechanical engineering major student who was originally torn between choosing Mechanical and Chemical engineering as my major. I have currently taken a required chemistry course which I enjoyed immensely and passed with the highest grade causing me to once again caused me to question my choice. I am currently considering starting a Chemical E. Major while I finish my Mechanical since besides the specific chemical courses they share many courses. Is this a good choice?? I am interested in both fields and would like a job that could include both as much as possible in the future. What would my possibilities be? I would like to add that I do enjoy lab work but am also interested in hands on work. Any guidance would be appreciated Thanks. Related to Chemical, Mechanical, Merging Fields Reset Sort By Default Julia Phillips , Sandia National Laboratories Answered Tuesday, August 12, 2014 at 11:00 PM Cristina-- It’s great to hear about your broad interest in engineering! I think it’s a great idea to branch out beyond your mechanical engineering major to explore other fields that interest you. Jobs today, and forefront research, as well, are increasingly interdisciplinary, so one needs some knowledge of multiple fields to tackle most of today’s most interesting and pressing problems. If you like both mechanical and chemical engineering, you might also like bioengineering or biomedical engineering, so you might give some thought to taking a course to get some exposure in that general area, as well. As for your specific question about starting a Chemical E. major: if you continue to enjoy the courses for this major as much as the Mechanical E. courses, by all means start that major. Even you don’t finish the entire course, you will have demonstrated your interest and aptitude in a second field, which will be good both for your job search and for graduate school, should you choose to head in that direction. There are so many directions that could make use of both mechanical and chemical engineering. One example is nanotechnology, which is where so many different science and engineering disciplines come together. Medical devices is another idea. Really, pretty much anything that has the potential to involve design of structures, flow of fluids or gases, and chemical reactions involves aspects of both fields. Another bit of advice: If you have not already done so, it would be a great idea to do an internship in a company – really, any company that is interested in either of these majors – to get an idea of the sorts of jobs that people with your background do. This would help you understand what you do and don’t like about work in a particular industry. It could also help you understand what kind of job you might be able to get with an undergraduate degree. Your supervisor and mentors could help you further refine your thoughts about specific courses and discuss different possible career paths with you. And, very importantly, you may make some important connections that could help with your job search after you finish your education.