10 Hardest Engineering Majors聽in 2025
February 12, 2025
Depending on their course of study, engineering majors can expect a high payout for all the hard work they do at college. In 2023, the median annual salary for all engineering and architecture specializations was $91,240, and an incredible 195,000 new jobs will added every year through 2033, according to the. But the big bucks come with a heavy theoretical and practical workload at college. If you鈥檙e thinking like a true engineer, you might want to optimize that difficulty with your chance of landing a full-time job and a beefed-up paycheck.
What is the hardest engineering major?
So, what鈥檚 the hardest engineering major? The answer is, perhaps unsurprisingly, relative, though this may come as a disappointment to some of our more objectively-minded readers. Levels of rigor will vary from university to university, and one student鈥檚 astrophysics nightmare might be another student鈥檚 treasure.
Still, there鈥檚 a general consensus that some disciplines are more demanding than others, and, luckily for us, economics doctoral candidate and U.S. Census Bureau research statistician Vitaliy Novik . Novik, who also studied and worked as an engineer prior to his doctoral research, surveyed nearly three million college students at 200 different universities, asking them to rank the difficulty of their courses on a scale from 1-5. He then took those findings and created a list of the most difficult majors.
10 Hardest Engineering Majors
1) Chemical
Novik鈥檚 list ranks chemical engineering as the hardest engineering major. Their unique training involves concepts from many other STEM disciplines, including chemistry, biology, math, and physics, which must then be applied in a variety of ways. However, the field opens students up to a variety of careers, from nanotechnology to new energy. According to, this specialty is in high demand, and while they might more traditionally work in the chemical, oil, or energy industries, they might also find jobs in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, the fabrication of electronic devices, and, even environmental engineering.
Related: Best Colleges for Chemical Engineering
2) Aerospace
In second place on our list is aerospace engineering. Aerospace students learn the science of flight for all types of aircraft鈥攖hey can send you on vacation to Antarctica just as easily as they can send you to the moon. They often pursue careers in the defense industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, aerospace engineers focus on 鈥渁erodynamic fluid flow; structural design; guidance, navigation, and control; instrumentation and communication; robotics; or propulsion and combustion.鈥�
Related: Best Colleges for Aerospace Engineering
3) Materials Engineering and Materials Science
Students who study materials engineering and materials science are putting themselves in the position to work at the forefront of technology. Accordingly, there is a high level of rigor involved. Moreover, they go on to careers in which they create new products, many of which serve to improve our lives. According to , materials engineers seek to understand 鈥渢he fundamental physical origins of material behavior in order to optimize properties of existing materials.鈥�
Related: Best Colleges for Materials Science and Engineering
4) Nuclear
When you think of nuclear engineering, you might think first about energy production. And while that鈥檚 certainly a path that students can take, they also learn how to apply radiation technologies to disease treatment, food production, and space exploration. Programs are rigorous because the careers that follow tend to have high stakes. According to , 鈥淭he federal government also hires nuclear engineers to design next-generation reactors for submarines, aircraft carriers, and space probes; regulate nuclear power or radiation uses; and develop advanced technologies that will be used in future power plants.鈥�
5) Mechanical
According to Novik鈥檚 study, mechanical engineering is the fifth hardest engineering major. In this major, you鈥檙e going to spend a ton of time in the lab, developing the capacity to design and evaluate products while also learning valuable problem-solving skills. You鈥檒l learn all about motion, energy, and fluid, solid, and thermal mechanics. Your basic coursework will run the familiar gamut of physics, math, and chemistry, but you might also be able to choose a concentration in areas like robotics, manufacturing, or automotive, among others.
Related: Best Colleges for Mechanical Engineering
6) General Engineering
A general engineering degree is a great option for folks who know they want to study engineering, but aren鈥檛 sure in which direction they鈥檇 like to go in terms of their career. It could be a great precursor to a more refined grad school program or more specialized training that you learn on the job. However, many students perceive this major to be quite challenging since they must learn concepts from multiple specialties. They also dive heavily into mathematics, experimentation, and design.
Not every university offers a degree in general engineering, however, so if this is something that interests you, make sure to do some research to see if the schools you like offer this major.
7) Environmental
Environmental engineering is not for the faint of heart. Yes, you鈥檙e studying the same rigorous subjects as the rest of the list, but you鈥檙e also confronting the climate crisis head-on. If you鈥檙e a person who鈥檚 passionate about the environment, science, and problem-solving, you鈥檒l thrive in this growing field. Coursework might involve water safety, protection, and treatment; reduction and prevention of air pollution; and hazardous waste clean-up. Many top programs are also starting to include classes that address green and alternative energy.
Related: Best Colleges for Environmental Engineering
8) Biomedical Engineering
Because of their focus on medicine and biology, biomedical engineering students also study ethics as well as how various economic, social, global, and environmental factors might impact their work. While the interdisciplinary coursework involved can this one of the hardest majors, it will also set you up for cutting-edge careers in medicine and tech startups.
Related: Best Colleges for Biomedical Engineering
9) Civil
When it comes to planning for a sustainable future, environmental engineers aren鈥檛 the only ones responsible. Civil engineers, who study infrastructure, water systems, and power supplies, learn to 鈥渄esign earthquake-resistant buildings, enable the use of autonomous vehicles, develop innovative processes to provide safe drinking water, promote green and sustainable infrastructure, and employ virtual and augmented reality to design human-friendly space,鈥� according to .
Related: Best Colleges for Civil Engineering
10) Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Industrial and manufacturing engineering can be considered one of the hardest majors because it requires an interdisciplinary approach. These students and professionals will 鈥渁pply science, mathematics, and engineering methods to complex system integration and operations. Because these systems are so large and complex, IEs need to have knowledge and skills in a wide variety of disciplines, the ability to work well with people, and a broad, systems perspective,鈥� according to .
Related: Best Colleges for Industrial Engineering
Planning to Pursue One of the Hardest Engineering Majors?
No one declares an engineering major without knowing that it鈥檚 going to be tough. Classes like statics, dynamics, C++, and chemistry routinely prove to be a challenge to students. Additionally, introductory courses at the beginning of the specific majors are typically very difficult for new college students because they require a full-blown shift in your state of mind: you鈥檙e essentially learning to think like an engineer, which, for better or worse, is probably not how you鈥檙e thinking about the world as a high school student.
So, what’s the best way to gauge how hard courses will be in your specific major? Our advice: Talk to older students about their experiences.
Cami M., a class of 2023 MIT student and , ranked Differential Equations鈥攁 commonly required and frequently lamented engineering sequence course鈥攁s one of her overall favorites at MIT. She said, 鈥淚 loved this class, but mainly because I loved the professor and found him super engaging and his lectures really entertaining. The TAs were all super helpful and it鈥檚 one of the few STEM classes I didn鈥檛 feel stupid in.鈥�
And while Cami鈥檚 experience sounds like a lucky one, attending every class and studying as much as you can is always the best prescription for your college career, no matter how hard your major is.
Additional Resources
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