What is toughest undergraduate major?

[COLLEGERESOURCES]

Originally posted by: Siva
Every major is different, what kind of moron thinks there's a "hardest" major.

I spent 8 hours a week in labs which I get no credit for in addition to a full course load. Meanwhile most theatre majors at my school would faint at the idea of more than just 6 hours of classes a week. But if you asked me to act, I couldn't, no amount of classes or learning could make it easy for me. Meanwhile if you put any of them in a lab they'd probably freak out.

College is about finding what you like, what you want to study, and what you want to do with your life. That's what makes a major easy. If you're major is so difficult to you maybe you oughta switch.

<---- Chemistry major btw.

exactly....i think that if you ask any of the enigneers to do a natural science major, they would struggle through it...it seems that the engineers just whine alot more about how hard their major was

med student btw

 

[Tiamat]

Originally posted by: COLLEGERESOURCES

Originally posted by: Siva
Every major is different, what kind of moron thinks there's a "hardest" major.

I spent 8 hours a week in labs which I get no credit for in addition to a full course load. Meanwhile most theatre majors at my school would faint at the idea of more than just 6 hours of classes a week. But if you asked me to act, I couldn't, no amount of classes or learning could make it easy for me. Meanwhile if you put any of them in a lab they'd probably freak out.

College is about finding what you like, what you want to study, and what you want to do with your life. That's what makes a major easy. If you're major is so difficult to you maybe you oughta switch.

<---- Chemistry major btw.

exactly....i think that if you ask any of the enigneers to do a natural science major, they would struggle through it...it seems that the engineers just whine alot more about how hard their major was

med student btw

Again, depends on the student. My bro Double majored (2 BS's) in Chemical Engineering and Biology. Chemical Engineering was definately the tougher of the two by far in course load, and effot/time spent.

 

[alent1234]

underwater basket weaving is keeping me up at nights

 

[AJeightFive]

I failed 3 courses in first year Aerospace Engineering.

 

[Kipper]

Why aren't the humanities listed? I respect someone who can get their head around abstract physics concepts or mathematical theorems, but read some Hegel (Phenomenology of Spirit, in particular), Kant (Critique of Pure Reason), or my personal favorite, Alvin Plantiga, and see if you can get your head around them.

Moreover, if you put scientific papers and non-scientific papers side by side I'm sure you will find more than enough difficulty on both sides. I really don't think you can put a cap on the 'hardest' major objectively. You have to remember that there are more than enough esoteric concepts in any discipline.

Edit: My major is philosophy, and I have roughly 250-300 pages of reading for two classes due any week. I also cranked out a 9,500 word final paper (that's about 25 pages double spaced) for an Advanced Ethics class. I'd like to see a science major do the same thing - by the same token, I doubt I could write ten pages on human physiology, so you get the idea.

 

[Zeeky Boogy Doog]

i voted ee

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: AJeightFive
I failed 3 courses in first year Aerospace Engineering.

sure, but is that a reflection of you or the major?

 

[PoPPeR]

ok well it's obvious that there is no definite "hardest" major... but think of it like this

If you somehow standardized every major, and made every student in the world go through the same program of the same difficulty, which do you think would churn out the most graduates, and which the least?

 

[navyjay]

Civil Engineering... Easy!

Aw, who am I kidding, my Civ Eng buddies were struggling with the idea of Pythagorean's theorem in their Senior year. Haha.

I'm an Electrical/Computer Eng. but would estimate Chem Eng. requires more theory at the undergraduate level. "Toughness" is a matter of how relatively easy/difficult the concepts and applications come to an avg. student. Some students might find ELE easier since they understand the concepts, whereas others may find CE easier if they know the math cold.

Another reason one major may be tougher is a student's interest in it. Obviously if something becomes your passion and you enjoy working with it, then you'll find it easier to understand and adopt. I thought electrical eng. was easier because I actually liked it. Now I'm nearly done with my MSEE and whenever someone says, "Wow, that must be hard!" I tell them it's not necessarily 'hard', just extremely time-consuming.

 

[JH68]

It depends on the interest of the person and how bad they want it. Also the professors have to be able to teach it to you not preach it.

I changed majors after my freshman year from Biology to Computer Science and I found that CS was just as hard if not harder for me. But stuck with it. But I figure there are other majors that are just as tough if not tougher.

 

[flyboy84]

i'm a junior year EE here...I'm having an OK time with my major...if you ask me, math and chem or biochem are probably harder...but it all depends on who you are and what you have a knack in. EE seems to come naturally to me, but my girlfriend is a math major and couldnt tell whats going on in my classes. but i'd be totally lost in advanced game theory and what not which she just took. so in short, it depends on who you are. the hardest major is what is hardest for YOU!

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: Ferocious
vote and comment.

I'm an EE. not sure how that's hte hardest. I thought it was common knowledge that chem engineering is the hardest major.

And if anyone thinks law is tough, slap yourself.

 

[IHateMyJob2004]

Originally posted by: Cruisin1
Where is Computer Engineering?

(other)

Besides, EE is harder so it's not really needed.

 

[Casawi]

Looking at the stats I was pretty shocked I voted for chem eng. I am a EE and CPE and i think the difficulty level is normal ( @ Michigan Tech )but i dont think i can do chem eng grrrrr. By the way I will be a senior next semester and havent taken my freshmen chem class yet.

 

[Casawi]

Originally posted by: IHateMyJob2004

Originally posted by: Ferocious
vote and comment.

I'm an EE. not sure how that's hte hardest. I thought it was common knowledge that chem engineering is the hardest major.

And if anyone thinks law is tough, slap yourself.

 

[SuperStrokey]

Geophysics is apparantly very hard

 

[papadiddydoo]

I say EE because i'm failing it =(
stupid EE @UCSD.....

 

[MySoS]

The hardest major is my Major Statistics.

 

[Whisper]

I'm going to go along with the people who say there is no "hardest" major. There are some students in each major that put in more work than other students in other majors, yes. But as previous posters have mentioned, take an art major and put him in an organic chem lab...ouchness. But take a biochem major and make him read and analyze shakespeare or chaucer for a semester...ouchness as well.

People tend to say that the humanities are "easier" than the engineering and natural sciences simply because they require less cramming for exams. This is largely because the focus of the humanities classes isn't the exams themselves, but the work leading up to the exams (i.e. papers, readings, discussions, etc.).

The humanities just seem easier because you either don't see much of the work that is put into the class, or the work itself makes use of skills that the student already possesses and is fairly proficient with. It's impossible to simply "know" scientific theorems and formulae, but if you're an accomplished writer entering college, you can apply that skill to most every humanities class that you'll take.

Perhaps it's just that some of the humanities classes make use of skills and knowledge that are more "inherent," while the hard sciences are more of a learn as you go-type deal. That's a very gross generalization, but it can account for at least some of the reason why humanities majors seem to study "less" than their engineering or chemist counterparts.

I've taken courses in both the hard sciences and in the humanities, and I wouldn't say one is more difficult than the other. They just require the use of different skills, and force you into different patterns of thought.

That said: Psych majors UNITE!

 

[Viper Frag]

EE hands down. Or any other engineering field. Just ask yourself this, why can you minor in just about everything else except engineering?

-Viper-Frag

 

[fallenangel99]

EE (or any engineering).. then computer science!

 

[Triforceofcourage]

I have alot of respect for people with CE and CS degrees. They have to take alot of hard classes. Thats why I am in the college of business baby

 

[rubix]

for me it's anything that requires testing on things presented in or out of class. or involving books and/or learning. or anything requiring showing up before 3pm. mostly just stuff like that.

 

[randal]

I've always heard that aerospace &amp; aeronautical engineering are ridiculously difficult. At least at CU Boulder, anyways.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Originally posted by: Viper-Frag
EE hands down. Or any other engineering field. Just ask yourself this, why can you minor in just about everything else except engineering?

-Viper-Frag

I dunno, you can't minor in Graphic Design. (here at least, i dunno about other places)