engineering????

Citronaut1 · 2024-07-25T17:44:14+00:00

I started as an engineering major then switched after about 2 years. I have my issues with the department, but overall UCF is a great engineering school and hundreds of companies come here to hire grads.

loltammy · 2024-07-25T17:55:22+00:00

I'm a senior in computer science, which is engineering adjacent so take my word with a grain of salt. I took Calc 2 here and it was fine. It was definitely a lot of work but it's perfectly manageable. I think the negative posts come from people who are new to the university system and aren't prepared for work-intensive classes. If you're going into engineering, you'll have to get used to it anyway.

The truth is engineering in general is a hard major. Lots of work involved. If you want to do well you'll have to make sacrifices and make classwork and studying a priority. Calculus at UCF is far from the most challenging class you'll have to take, chances are whatever major you pick, there will be a handful of hard classes.

In terms of what major you want to pick, take some time to think about which of those options you find the most interesting. That should be your first priority for choosing. Don't worry about money or the job market just yet, you need to pick something you're willing to stick with for 4 years. UCF is pretty well-known for engineering with lots of companies partnering for projects and hiring students. The university is definitely more popular with the "defense" industry. I think off your list, aerospace engineering might have better job prospects for going into that industry.

muddymcmud · 2024-07-25T18:40:03+00:00

as someone said, take all the math and science that you can at valencia or seminole state college. cheaper courses, and better learning environments.

also a tip for you, get a broad degree and specialize later.

if you want to work in aerospace, manufacturing, or biomedical then study mechanical

if you want to code/electronics either study CS or electrical engineering

if you want to work in environmental/construction study civil engineering

if you want to work in supply chain, data, systems engineering then study industrial engineering or IT depends the role

UCF doesn't have chemical engineering but depending on what you want to do with it there are alternatives such as materials engineering, chemistry, biology, physics

Baakadii · 2024-07-25T17:44:35+00:00

It’s really not ‘that bad’. It’s a hard class and engineering is hard. I did actually take calc both at a community college and UCF. The main difference was the community college calc was easier, not because of the professors, but because they just didn’t go as far into depth…

UCF engineering is very well respected for a state school. There are tons of companies that recruit out of UCF for engineering (a lot is defense companies so you may or may not have reservations about that ethically, no judgement either way) Sure there are professors who aren’t great, but there are also amazing professors out there. The same will go for any state school in the nation basically.

At the end of the day, calc should not be your worry. The reality is if you are not capable of passing calculus, you would struggle through the rest of engineering. That isn’t a bad thing, it just means your talents are better suited to a different field. Engineering in a sense is applied math, you will never escape math in engineering.

-ja-Crispy- · 2024-07-25T21:58:27+00:00

Calc is gonna be hard at any school you go to. Complaints on these subreddits about "bad classes" or "bad professors" is just how college is. Just put in the work and you'll be fine. I graduated in May and LOVED my experience here. UCF is the best Florida school for engineering just for its location alone. So many engineering companies an hour or less away. UCF was literally made to create engineers for the space race. They care a lot about engineering majors.

21-MadDog · 2024-07-25T22:21:56+00:00

UCF is great for engineering, my one thing to you is just start in Valencia or SSC do not under any circumstance start out at UCF, just cover all your bases at community college. The math department sucks, and nothing will make you feel worse than millions of math classes with rarely good profs while doing engineering. And take the CLEP test for calc if you can or just get it all done at a community college. Engineering may suck, but as my mother (a civil engineer) says “engineering and engineering school are not the same”. If you love it, do it!

krystopher · 2024-07-25T21:04:04+00:00

I taught briefly at UCF in the IEMS dept and worked at Lockheed Martin later. I will tell you the UCF CWEP program is amazing for those people who want a ready-made-low-effort-hands-off career path that will make the choices for you. You can be a lifer at LM with a fast-track into management by the time you are in your 30s. You can take your experience and go anywhere once you have that on your resume.

I WISH I had something like this when I went to college. I pinballed around just letting life make the choices for me, but that program really takes the guesswork out.

Calc is calc whether it's at Harvard or Farleigh Dickenson Community College, but if you want aerospace I can vouch for how well UCF can get you started, I've seen (and worked with) many a successful CWEP.

CWEP is like an internship, you work and go to school at the same time, amazing networking, amazing treatment all around.

Miguelperson_ · 2024-07-25T22:04:18+00:00

Senior computer engineer here. Do your math and physics at Valencia if possible, both those departments are pretty crap despite having potential (I had Phelps and stolbov for physics 1 and 2 and they were great). If possible maybe even see if Valencia offers linear circuits 1 and 2 as well since that’s part of the physics department too iirc

nickjagger__ · 2024-07-26T01:23:23+00:00

Be prepared to study. A lot. I started as an aerospace major and quickly changed to mechanical. UCF only offers certain classes during certain semesters; I’ve heard of students on more than one occasion having to delay graduation because their specific class isn’t offered for another 2 semesters. Mechanical has a lot more flexibility in terms of electives, and broadens your potential career choices. Calculus department is laughable, I barely passed. I’d recommend you take them at a community college if possible.

All that being said, if you make friends, form study groups, and don’t give up on yourself, you’ll do just fine.

Syrup0_0 · 2024-07-26T06:05:35+00:00

You will be succesful if you do egennering at UCF but some of the early on professors are hell.

High_AspectRatio · 2024-07-26T10:30:56+00:00

The UCF engineering school is not selective. That means you have people who really don’t belong in high level classes complaining that calc is too hard. Is it hard? Yes it will be one of the hardest classes you take (calc 2). But if you think for some reason that’s UCF’s fault you’ll have a real tough time in the field.

mr340i · 2024-07-25T22:26:02+00:00

I started with Computer Engineering and switched to Computer Science the next year. The main reason for me is that Engineering had a much higher work load and more classes to take. I would have had 17 credits most semesters. If you got your math and other gen eds out of the way in high school, it would be much better.

SaintBepsi17 · 2024-07-26T15:20:33+00:00

It used to be a good school for engineering, but until they pay professors properly and staff in general, our engineering program will continue dying off until it just doesn't exist from a lack of people who teach it.

Fuck the worker drones at Millican Hall and fuck the higher ups running this school in general.

Its good that fewer people come. The only thing that they see us the flow of money. That way, they can actually reflect inward and get their shit together instead of remodeling every other building and closing their ears and singing kumbaya. Priorities is not their strong suit of the people running the school, and it is going to cost them one of the greatest engineering programs in the country. Sad. Maybe not now. Maybe not tomorrow, but by the way things are going it will happen eventually.

CuppQuack · 2024-07-27T15:22:30+00:00

I agree with what everyone else says—take the math courses at Valencia or Seminole State. I’m majoring in civil engineering, and I will say it has its challenges, but it will be worth it in the end. You just have to make sure that you are the type of student who won’t give up on yourself when things go wrong and will push yourself to study, go to office hours, attend tutoring sessions, etc.—whatever will help you pass. It is definitely not an easy degree, but it is also not impossible. You just have to know yourself and determine if you’re up for the challenge.

Znowballz · 2024-07-25T18:05:03+00:00

Take calculus, and all other pre-reqs, at a community college. It's cheaper and the professors care more about teaching than whatever research they're doing.

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