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In an online survey, we asked 1000 engineers from different engineering backgrounds a series of questions to determine which is the hardest engineering major.
Yes, we asked 1000 engineers from different engineering backgrounds to rank engineering majors from the easiest to the most difficult. The results showed what the hardest engineering majors are and what are the most difficult engineering degrees that you can do today.
Our online survey showed that 320 engineers considered Chemical Engineering the most difficult engineering major, followed by Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Engineering. See the results below:
The 5 major engineering fields have many subfields. All are explained below.
The 5 Engineering Majors Explained
If you want to do an engineering degree, you must understand what each engineering major can offer, which will help you choose the best engineering course.
1- Chemical Engineering:
Chemical engineering is the hardest engineering major that deals with designing and maintaining chemical plans and converting raw materials into usable products. In addition, it deals with biotechnology and material science. There are many subfields in chemical engineering:
Subfields:
- Biochemical Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Biotechnology Engineering
- Nuclear Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
- Cellular Engineering
- Genetic Engineering
- Material Science Engineering
- Molecular Engineering
- Pharmaceutical Engineering
2- Electrical Engineering:
Electrical engineering is the most innovative engineering field that builds systems and devices that use electricity, electronics or electromagnetism, such as power grids, telecommunication systems or microchips. Software engineering and computer science are the biggest subfields of electrical engineering that have grown on a massive scale and deal with software design and data analysis.
Subfields:
- Software Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Cybersecurity Engineering
- Telecommunication Engineering
- Data Engineering
- Cloud Engineering
- Electronics Engineering
- Information Technology Engineering
- Microelectronic Engineering
- Nano-engineering
- Network Engineering
- Power Engineering
3- Mechanical Engineering:
Mechanical engineers design and build systems and physical machines that do specific tasks, such as car engines. This is one of the oldest branches of engineering but one of the most popular fields in engineering.
Subfields:
- Acoustical Engineering
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
- Astronautical Engineering
- Thermal Engineering
- Automotive Engineering
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Mechatronics Engineering
- Robotics Engineering
- Biomechanics Engineering
- Agricultural Engineering
4- Civil Engineering:
This is the oldest known engineering major that deals with designing, building and maintaining physical structures such as bridges, buildings, airports, railways and sewerage systems.
Subfields:
- Structural Engineering
- Construction Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Hydraulic Engineering
- Wind Engineering
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Architectural Engineering
- Transport Engineering
- Geological Engineering
- Marine Engineering
5- Industrial Engineering
This is the most versatile engineering major and also the easiest to study. Industrial engineers can work in different industries due to their understanding of the supply chain, finance and manufacturing.
Subfields:
- Component Engineering
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Systems Engineering
- Supply Chain Engineering
- Financial Engineering
- Fire Protection Engineering
Now that we explained the major engineering branches, it is time to answer the question that everyone wants to know what the most challenging engineering degree to do is.
The 9 Hardest Engineering Degrees
We asked 1000 engineers to rank the most difficult engineering degrees to do. These were the results:
- Nuclear Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
- Software Engineering
- Nanoengineering
- Genetic Engineering
- Mechatronics Engineering
- Biotechnology Engineering
- Structural Engineering
The 9 Easiest Engineering Degrees
We asked 1000 engineers to rank the easiest engineering degrees to do. These were the results:
- Industrial Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Agricultural engineering
- Construction Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
- Architectural Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Information Technology Engineering
- System Engineering
How To Choice An Engineering Degree?
Choosing an engineering degree depends mainly on your preference and what you want to become. Because 1000 professional engineers ranked some degrees as the easiest, you should not choose those fields or avoid the most difficult ones.
In general, all engineering fields are challenging. To choose the best degree, you should do a degree that interest you. Just because engineers have ranked a degree as easy, it might be difficult for you because you are not interested in it.
If doing engineering is something you want to do, you should check our guide on Which Engineering Degree To Do? Make A Choice Now.
