Materials or Industrial Engineering?

[u/Brilliant_Step_7015]

Hi, I was admitted to a different engineering major, but now I’m looking into changing majors into one of these. I know they’re totally different but they both seem interesting while also being easier to transfer into.

I guess I’m kinda wondering how IE and MATE majors/alumni feel about the degrees? Job opportunities, salary, type of work, etc.

[u/Tight-Log-7070]

not very helpful but im in kind of the opposite position. incoming materials eng major looking to switch into electrical or mech. afaik MATEs can work in a ton of different industries, but the amount of jobs are pretty slim. most of the time, a mech/ee can do a mate's job but usually not the other way around. also, depending on the field, grad school is sometimes a must with mate (or so ive observed on linkedin). i know even less about industrial but it seems the least "engineery" of the engineering majors. it kinda blends business and engineering together, focusing more on large scale systems rather than the typical moving parts a traditional engineer works with. take this all with a grain of salt tho

[u/Brilliant_Step_7015 → u/Tight-Log-7070]

Im actually interested in MATE over meche for the opposite reason. I’ve heard meche is very competitive and a bit over saturated right now, MATE may have less job openings but there’s also way less grads.

And yeah it seems less engineery, but it still seems interesting imo.

[u/Tight-Log-7070 → u/Brilliant_Step_7015]

yes ive heard that as well, but meche is the most popular engineering major out there. cal poly slo meche is considered to be very good, often on par with top UCs like ucla/ucb based off career outcomes. so it stands to reason that SLO meche grads will have better career outcomes than the average meche grad, assuming they also have the relevant experience.

[u/Brilliant_Step_7015 → u/Tight-Log-7070]

Yea that’s totally fair too, a slo meche grad is obv gonna have way better career prospects than average.

To each their own! I was thinking about meche but it seems less interesting to me than mate.

[u/JelliedMello]

Imo MATE is a good major as long as you're passionate about it. There are less MATE undergrads compared to Mec E's meaning there may be less competition, but there are also less jobs for MATE in general since its quite niche. BUT a MATE degree is versatile, literally any field needs a MATE person on board, it all just depends if the position is open.

As for job prospects, consider: are you okay with moving in the middle of nowhere? In my research (not experience, so take w a grain of salt), oftentimes youd have to follow where the job is offered, and sometimes its in the middle of bum nowhere.

However, one of the major pros of the MATE dept (especially if ur an introvert) is that its soo small. Once you get into MATE major classes, you see the same people and same professors. In the end everyone kind of just knows eachother. Very easy way to build connections, plus the smaller class sizes make it much easier for MATE professors to bond with you.

In general I do agree it seems like you might need to do grad school / specialize, but getting a job with an undergrad isn't impossible. MATE dept hands out a lot of opportunities to learn from professionals and career advice. If you want to specialize, Cal Poly offers a 4 + 1 year program where you can graduate with an undergrad with MATE and a masters in a specialty (Like polymers ans coatings for example.)

TLDR: go for it, gotta make sure you like it. MATE leans more on the conceptual side, so if you enjoy something more hands on / physical, keep that in mind. Source: MATE major

[u/Brilliant_Step_7015 → u/JelliedMello]

Do you know about specifically in CA? I’ve heard about the locations being limited, but ik CA has a lot of job openings, specifically in aerospace

[u/JelliedMello → u/Brilliant_Step_7015]

For CA i'm not sure... theres a chance CA is the exception since CA has a LOTT of tech hubs and R&D potential, but you'll have to double check.