Is this a good idea...?

(edited 6 years ago)

I think you should combine fashion design with environmental science, these are the top subjects for the future, so you will have excellent prospects with these

Reply 2

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by Wisefire

I am interested in getting combined economics and (chemical) engineering degrees. I feel that the two relate somewhat, and that they would make me very employable. Furthermore, so long as I am in the right kind of university (i.e. a good one, preferably in London), I will definitely enjoy it.

Do you think if I do a BSc in economics, and then transfer to do an MSc in chemical engineering at another university, I would have a good combination of degrees? I presume the overall set would be extremely wide-ranging, and honestly, I would just feel glad, and content, knowing that I'm doing two decent, highly interesting subjects, that will greatly bolster my prospects...

I'd also like to re-take a fair few of my GCSEs/IGCSEs, and my AS-levels, of course (I'm currently a year 12 student). How important would such grades (GCSEs and A-levels) be, if I wanted to transfer to a university such as Imperial or Manchester?

Thanks.

Firstly, the two degrees have no relation whatsoever, other than both requiring a good grade in maths for entry and utilising maths as part of the degree.

You couldn't get a combined degree in the two either. Such a degree wouldn't have enough engineering content in it to be accredited anyway, making the engineering component largely pointless.

Lastly, you couldn't take an engineering MSc with a BSc in economics either, since you wouldn't have the technical background required.

You'll have to pick one, I'm afraid, unless you fancy, and can finance, two undergrad degrees.

Reply 3

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by Wisefire

Wow, thanks... I'm not obviously going to pay for two degrees (two BSc degrees you're thus telling me?), so, right, I'll have to chose one... My main intention is to do an economics degree, but I do not want to stop at BSc economics, especially if it's not from a top university. I'd like to also get a Masters, as I'm guessing that would assist me even more so than just a Bachelors; and, I would preferably want the Masters in something a bit different (engineering/maths/I don't know...), to add some versatility to my qualifications.

Anything you could recommend I could transfer to, from economics? Maybe maths instead? And, if I did that, would it mean I'd have to spend another 4 years at university (7 in total; 3 for the Bachelors and 4 for the Masters)...?

You can do joint economics and maths degrees. Or you could do an undergraduate degree in maths and then a masters in economics (although I don't think the reverse would be possible).

If you have no intention of working as an engineer, then an engineering degree isn't a worthwhile investment.

Reply 4

Juno

Original post by Smack

Engineering, economics and management at Oxford disagrees with you...

(I know it has been discontinued now, but still existed)

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 5

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by Wisefire

Thanks. When you say reverse isn't possible, you mean it's unlikely I can transfer from maths to economics/its more likely I can first do economics, then transfer to maths?

The later.

Original post by Juno

Engineering, economics and management at Oxford disagrees with you...

(I know it has been discontinued now, but still existed)

And why has it been discontinued?

Reply 6

Juno

Original post by Smack

The later.

And why has it been discontinued?

You mean "latter".

And Oxford knows better than Smack. Clearly there was some reason for it existing, so it's not such a terrible idea :rolleyes:

Reply 7

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by Juno

You mean "latter".

And Oxford knows better than Smack. Clearly there was some reason for it existing, so it's not such a terrible idea :rolleyes:

I don't know why you're being so aggressive. Engineering and economics, as subjects, have no relation to each other. I am telling you that as an engineer. It doesn't matter whether there was, at one point, a degree that included both, as there exist all kinds of combinations that have little to do with each other, e.g. a science and a language.

Reply 8

Juno

Original post by Smack

I'm not being aggressive. You just clearly don't like being proved wrong. I can go "awww, diddums :console:

" if that makes you feel better

Reply 9

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by Juno

I'm not being aggressive. You just clearly don't like being proved wrong. I can go "awww, diddums :console:

" if that makes you feel better

Where have I been proved wrong?

Reply 10

jelly1000

Original post by Wisefire

masters don't normally assist you except in a minority of cases- most graduate jobs just want a Batchelors at the moment

Reply 11

Engineer2015

Original post by Wisefire

You could do a generalist masters degree. Some top universities offer conversion masters in computer science (UCL, Imperial, B'ham, Bristol).

Reply 12

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Wisefire

You don't seem to understand how most postgraduate study works.

PG masters (MSc or MA generally) will last for 1 year and will EITHER be a further specialism for the subject area you studied at UG *or* will be a kind of conversion course to allow you to expand your studies into a new area. Conversion type masters are quite rare except for in a few specific areas (one relevant example in this case would be http://www.lse.ac.uk/study/graduate/taughtProgrammes2014/MScEconomics.aspx which would cost you £17,880 for the preliminary year and another £23,064 to get the actual MSc award - all to be paid personally - there are no tuition fee loans or maintenance loans for this sort of PG study).

From your posts it sounds like you're just cycling through the typical "I'm good at maths A level so what should I do" degree subjects without any real idea of what interests you, what you would enjoy studying and where you would like your degree to take you. I'd recommend figuring out what you really enjoy and why and where you want to get to and THEN think about what degree fills those requirements rather than just coasting along the route that lots of other maths A level students happen to have chosen in the past.

Reply 13

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Wisefire

Yeah, I am still slightly unaware about how university degrees etc work; nobody's really told me, so thanks for that. However, I have (very much) preoccupied and thought about what I want to do. It's all I do in my pathetic little existence... Ponder my future, lol... How extensively I have thought about what I want to do you of course cannot know, and I think you think I haven't really thought about it.. Well, what I can say with a degree of confidence is that I've extrapolated what I feel is a fair bit, from what I know; and, what I know is limited... Yes, I just want a degree that gives me a very good grounding when it comes to applying for jobs. I'd like to do something that complements my abilities in maths (and is highly respectable), such that I am able to get a good job, with good prospects, and good pay, after a few years of experience... I don't just want to be 'educated'; I want my degrees to have a leaning...

Regarding "£17,880 for the preliminary year and another £23,064 to get the actual MSc award", and what followed after, do you mean I have to pay up-front for an MSc/I can't pay it back over time, as with usual degrees in the UK?

I think that an economics degree, maths or finance degree, is what I'd like to do for now, at BSc. All I'm after is literally anything 'extra', just to add a bit of a bolster to my overall portfolio of qualifications, after I graduate with my BSc (i.e. a postgraduate/Masters etc)...

You want a career using maths that is respectable - there's a lot more options around that then just chem eng and economics :biggrin:

(and it is the discrepancy between the two and the differences in how they use maths that make me assume that you don't really know what you want to do and are following either poor advice or the decisions of your peers)

Which bits of maths do you enjoy (ie do you like stats, do you like pure maths, do you like logic, do you like mechanics (forgive me I've no idea if mechanics is still a part of maths A level anymore or if it has moved to be just in physics)) or do you just like solving puzzles regardless of the area of maths.

(and yes - there is NO tuition loan to cover most postgraduate MSc/MA tuition fees - you'd be liable to pay them yourself out of your own pocket. There's also no loans/grants available to live off so you'd have to either take out a commercial loan or get a job to pay your rent and bills while studying)

Reply 14

Clearing and Applications Advisor

Original post by Wisefire

When I think of doing maths, applications/'logic'/'statistics' comes into mind, so I suppose I like that. But I wouldn't mind what I'm doing... Right. Wow. So, if I want to further my credentials, I can't, and I'm ****ed, until I've saved enough. Right. Great. Anyway, thanks for clearing that up for me though :smile:

You're not ****ed - I think you just need to rebase how you're thinking of university education. Postgrad study is (with some exceptions) expensive and is also (with some exceptions) not funded by the government in any way (this might change - universities have been lobbying for a change for ages because most postgrad students now end up coming in from outside the UK).

I would suggest you have a good nose through http://www.prospects.ac.uk/options_with_your_subject.htm

Based on your interest in chem eng and econ I'm guessing that you're doing physics, maths, chemistry AS levels (if so good choice :wink:

) as well as economics in which case the following subjects on the prospects site *could* be something you could consider

big long list of subjects

Any of those degrees could lead to a numerate job (depending on the options you choose along the way) but of course every job will use maths in different ways and I'm guessing not all of these will appeal to you (eg I've left the health related degrees in but I'm guessing from your chem eng/econ interests so far that that's not of massive interest to you).

I can STRONGLY recommend experiences like http://www.etrust.org.uk/headstart to help you get a better feel for a range of STEM type courses (even if only to rule them out - all I got from the headstart engineering course I attended was a conviction that I did NOT want to do engineering but it helped steer me towards the subject I ended up studying instead). I'd also recommend their project scheme http://www.etrust.org.uk/ees/about-ees and - if you find you are still not decided on what to study but would like some practical experience to make your CV stand out while you take a gap year: http://www.etrust.org.uk/year-industry/vacancies is brilliant (they cover business/management type roles as well as IT or engineering and lab jobs).

Then - when you're 100% sure what subject you're interested in studying do some research on the courses available - if you want to further your credentials then things like placement years, practical projects, internships, years/semesters abroad etc make a real difference between a standard graduate and an outstanding one (plus again they give you a chance to get out and try out different jobs/roles to figure out what suits you). Not every course will come with these sorts of opportunities, and those that do will differ in the way they're arranged, managed and where you can go which is why research is essential.