Double degree benefits/disadvantages (1 Viewer)

[henry08]

If I was to do a 5 year double degree of Bachelor of Science (physics)/Bachelor of Engineering (civil), would thsi make me more employable, or less employable having completed less elective etc in each course when compared to others? Discuss please.

 

[wrong_turn]

at unsw its 5.5 years i think

and i dont think it really matters that much. it really depends i guess what you do in each of those degrees

 

[Forbidden.]

I don't think it makes you more or less employable in a particular industry.

From a classmate, R:
"I decided to do Commerce but then if I do Engineering and Commerce together I think they will consider you more over other Commerce students."

 

[Morbo]

at unsw its 5.5 years i think

and i dont think it really matters that much. it really depends i guess what you do in each of those degrees

its 5 years for eng/sci and 5.5 years for eng/com. it wouldnt really matter because you would still have to do all the core engineering major subjects and you wouldn't have to do gen ed. think carefully about your science major because you only get 10 science electives in the eng/sci program and most science majors (i think chem and phys are the only exceptions) require you to do more then 10 science electives.

 

[Forbidden.]

its 5 years for eng/sci and 5.5 years for eng/com. it wouldnt really matter because you would still have to do all the core engineering major subjects and you wouldn't have to do gen ed. think carefully about your science major because you only get 10 science electives in the eng/sci program and most science majors (i think chem and phys are the only exceptions) require you to do more then 10 science electives.

stuff gen eds.

i wanna do eng/sci or eng/arts now

Rock On

 

[henry08]

Majoring in Physics.

What is 'gen eds'?

 

[Davo1111]

From a classmate, R:
"I decided to do Commerce but then if I do Engineering and Commerce together I think they will consider you more over other Commerce students."

i disagree.

 

[erm]

Yes! Of Course! Because commerce firms will really care that you have knowledge in something that is completely unrelated to your job.

I think you're wrong there. I've been talking to a few students who do the combined degree and Engineering/commerce students are often hired (over straight commerce students) due to their analytic/mathematical ability.

 

[Sammy-Blue]

I think you're wrong there. I've been talking to a few students who do the combined degree and Engineering/commerce students are often hired (over straight commerce students) due to their analytic/mathematical ability.

So? Speaking english fluently will put you ahead of at least 50% of commerce students out there. Not doubting that the engi/comm had superior math ability, but I doubt that was the deciding factor.

 

[erm]

So? Speaking english fluently will put you ahead of at least 50% of commerce students out there. Not doubting that the engi/comm had superior math ability, but I doubt that was the deciding factor.

Well i'm sure speaking fluently (which most of us should be able to do anyway) and having such a double degree would make you more attractive.

But i guess it boils down to a lot of other factors.

 

[roadcone]

I think you're wrong there. I've been talking to a few students who do the combined degree and Engineering/commerce students are often hired (over straight commerce students) due to their analytic/mathematical ability.

In what industry?

I would say generally this is not the case. If you are going for a job in commerce, having an engineering degree would not tick any essential boxes.

 

[lionking1191]

this was said at a lecture in an uni careers day

"a double degree makes you triply employable"

but then they could just be trying to get your money

 

[Forbidden.]

NOTE that it was someone else's opinion not mine.

 

[goony]

Rock on

 

[erm]

penis

 

[henry08]

So whats gen eds?

 

[Morbo]

At UNSW, they require students to undertake atleast 12 units of general education. This means, if you are not doing a double degree you must take 4 general education courses (worth 3 units of credit each) or alternatively you may just do 2 normal courses (6 UoC) not within your own faculty usually in your second year or onwards. So, for example, if you were doing a B Engineering, you would not be able to enrol into any engineering based general education courses.
But because the B Engineering/B Science double degree is run by both the Engineering and Science faculties, the university doesnt require you to do any general education courses because you are already enrolled into courses from two or more faculties.
Just to make things even more complicated, during your first year in the B Engineering degree, you only take about two engineering courses with the rest being Science courses (Maths, Physics, Computing, etc) but they do not count that as gen ed because these need to be completed in order for you to progress in your degree.

 

[billbro]

Yes! Of Course! Because commerce firms will really care that you have knowledge in something that is completely unrelated to your job.

I would disagree, why is Engineering completely unrelated to a business/service firm? The Big 4 actually hire people from across a variety of disciplines, in fact a number of the graduates I met at PwC a few days ago had no business experience but where into IT/Engineering.

I don't see how having an Engineering degree would not give you an advantage, it is well known that such a degree is substantially harder than a Commerce Degree. Obviously, having something on top of the Commerce Degree that everyone else has is bound to offer at least a marginal benefit.

The trade off that should be considered, is whether that extra 2.5 years is worth the opportunity cost in work experience. No doubt it will be beneficial, but is forgoing 2.5 years of pay and work experience going to get you further later on? I would think it probably wouldn't get you further along in the long run, unless you were doing like Com/Law - simply a slight advantage initially.

 

[erm]

^

basically that's what i thought.

 

[Forbidden.]

I would disagree, why is Engineering completely unrelated to a business/service firm? The Big 4 actually hire people from across a variety of disciplines, in fact a number of the graduates I met at PwC a few days ago had no business experience but where into IT/Engineering.

I don't see how having an Engineering degree would not give you an advantage, it is well known that such a degree is substantially harder than a Commerce Degree. Obviously, having something on top of the Commerce Degree that everyone else has is bound to offer at least a marginal benefit.

The trade off that should be considered, is whether that extra 2.5 years is worth the opportunity cost in work experience. No doubt it will be beneficial, but is forgoing 2.5 years of pay and work experience going to get you further later on? I would think it probably wouldn't get you further along in the long run, unless you were doing like Com/Law - simply a slight advantage initially.

I finally get to bitch to my carpentry/commerce/architecture/science/medical science friends about how crazy an engineering degree is.
In the end it's worth it.

Rock On