By Tiegan Cunningham Applied Engineering Sciences Junior
In addition to the multiple majors within the College of Engineering, there are also 3 minors students could partake in. Students often have minors in areas that their specific major does not touch on and that they personally are interested in. A minor is typically 12-24 credits and is completed in a student’s junior or senior year and could apply across all disciplines.
Computer Science
This minor would be beneficial for students across all majors, for computer knowledge is used in nearly all industries. With classes in programming and discrete structures, students can learn the fundamentals of computer science and apply it to their own careers. This is also a great way to prepare students for graduate-level study in computer science.
Materials Science and Engineering
The Materials Science and Engineering minor is available to students within the College of Engineering whom are not in the Materials Science major. This minor is beneficial to students for work in multiple industries, research, or preparation for Materials Science graduate study. Students will learn a variety of topics from properties of materials to microstructural design.
Energy
Being open to anyone in the College of Engineering, the Energy minor has students focus on topics such as energy generation, utilization, conservation, engineering applications and the impact of energy within a societal and geological context. Students can apply this knowledge to industry, research, and graduate school preparation.
Other minors at MSU
Many engineering students will also pick minors in other colleges depending on their interests. For example, if an engineering student wants to go into the food industry, they can minor in Food Industry Management in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. If an engineering student wants to start their own business, they could minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the College of Business. If they want to work abroad in Germany, they could minor in German in the College of Arts and Letters. The minor options across the university are endless.
Engineering Concentrations
In addition to minors, most majors in the College of Engineering have different concentrations of their own for students to take. These concentrations focus on a specific area or interest directly related to their major. For example, a Mechanical Engineering student could have one or more of the following concentrations: Automotive Powertrain, Biomedical Engineering, Computational Design, Energy, Engineering Mechanics, Global Engineering, and Manufacturing Engineering.
To learn more about undergraduate minors at MSU: https://reg.msu.edu/AcademicPrograms/Programs.aspx?PType=MNUN
To learn more about engineering majors and their concentrations: https://www.egr.msu.edu/undergraduate/academic/degree-programs
