Engineering Pathways: Easiest and Hardest Engineering Degrees

Engineering is challenging, but some branches are harder than others. We’ll show you which engineering majors are easiest and hardest.

What Determines Difficulty

The difficulty of engineering majors is determined by several factors, including course content, retention and graduation rates, math content, and research and thesis requirements.

Overview of Engineering

Engineering has a demanding volume of coursework, spanning a wide range of assignments, projects, and laboratory work. The volume of work varies between different majors, with some requiring more practical tasks and others more research work.

Types of Engineering Majors

**Easiest Engineering Majors:**
– **Environmental Engineering:** Focused on developing machines and structures that cause minimal harm to the environment.
– **Industrial Engineering:** At the intersection of engineering and social science concepts like business and economics.

**Hardest Engineering Majors:**
– **Computer Engineering:** High math content and difficulty.
– **Chemical Engineering:** High math content and difficulty.

Course Content Difficulty

| Major | Course Content Difficulty |
| — | — |
| Industrial Engineering | Moderate |
| Civil Engineering | Moderate |
| Mechanical Engineering | High |
| Biomedical Engineering | High |
| Computer Engineering | Very High |
| Electrical Engineering | Very High |
| Chemical Engineering | Very High |

Retention & Graduation Rates

| Major | Retention & Graduation Rates |
| — | — |
| Industrial Engineering | High |
| Civil Engineering | High |
| Mechanical Engineering | Moderate |
| Biomedical Engineering | Moderate |
| Computer Engineering | High |
| Electrical Engineering | Low |
| Chemical Engineering | Low |

Math Content & Difficulty

| Major | Math Content & Difficulty |
| — | — |
| Industrial Engineering | Moderate |
| Civil Engineering | Moderate |
| Mechanical Engineering | High |
| Biomedical Engineering | High |
| Computer Engineering | Very High |
| Electrical Engineering | Very High |
| Chemical Engineering | Very High |

Research & Thesis Requirements

| Major | Research & Thesis Requirements |
| — | — |
| Industrial Engineering | Moderate |
| Civil Engineering | Moderate |
| Mechanical Engineering | High |
| Biomedical Engineering | High |
| Computer Engineering | High |
| Electrical Engineering | High |
| Chemical Engineering | Very High |

Engineering Majors

– **Civil Engineering:** Extensive hands-on work and laboratory experiments.
– **Mechanical Engineering:** Extensive hands-on work and laboratory experiments.
– **Electrical Engineering:** Extensive hands-on work and laboratory experiments.
– **Biomedical Engineering:** Often begins with lab experimentation and ends with more hands-on development work.
– **Aerospace Engineers:** Use computer modeling initially and then test specific materials in a lab facility before developing and constructing specific components.

Conclusion

Engineering majors vary in difficulty based on course content, retention and graduation rates, math content, and research and thesis requirements. Understanding these factors can help you choose the right engineering major for your interests and abilities.