Pathway
Engineering
Designing and building physical systems, machines, structures, circuits, processes. Heavy on math and physics, and the most sequence-sensitive path on this list.
Majors
- Mechanical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
Jobs people do
- Mechanical engineer
- Civil / structural engineer
- Electrical engineer
- Manufacturing engineer
- Systems engineer
- Engineering technician (two-year path)
Watch out
The choices that quietly close a door here
Not getting into Algebra I by 8th grade and treating it as fine.
It isn't fatal, but it puts Calculus out of reach senior year without doubling up or taking a summer course, and engineering programs are built assuming calculus on day one.
Instead If you're in 8th or 9th and behind, ask your counselor about doubling Geometry and Algebra II, or a summer course. Do it now, it gets harder to fix every year.
Skipping Physics because Chemistry already checks the science box.
Physics is the subject engineering is built on. Arriving without it is a genuine handicap.
Instead Take both. Chemistry sophomore year, Physics junior year.
Loading senior year with easy electives once applications are in.
Colleges see your senior schedule and many ask for the final transcript. A soft senior year is one of the more common ways an offer gets pulled or a placement drops.
Instead Keep math and science through senior year. It also makes freshman year survivable.
Course ladder
Grade by grade
Course names differ at every school, and graduation requirements differ by state. Take this list to your counselor so the two of you are working from the same page.
Grade 8
- Algebra ILoad-bearing
For engineering this matters more than for any other path here. Algebra I in 8th grade is what puts Calculus in senior year, and engineering programs assume it.
- Intro engineering / PLTW Gateway if offeredWorth doing
Grade 9
- GeometryLoad-bearing
- Biology or Physical ScienceLoad-bearing
- Intro to Engineering Design (PLTW) or drafting/CADWorth doing
CAD skills show up in college labs immediately and are worth having early.
- English 9Load-bearing
Grade 10
- Algebra IILoad-bearing
- ChemistryLoad-bearing
Required for most engineering programs; non-negotiable for chemical, materials, and biomedical.
- Principles of Engineering (PLTW) or shop/fabricationWorth doing
- World language, year 2Worth doing
Grade 11
- PrecalculusLoad-bearing
- PhysicsLoad-bearing
The one course engineering programs will actually ask about. Take it even if your school lists it as optional.
- Computer science or a CAD/manufacturing courseWorth doing
- World language, year 3Worth doing
Grade 12
- Calculus (AB or BC)Load-bearing
Engineering is the path where arriving without calculus reliably costs you a semester, sometimes a year, because the whole major is sequenced off it.
- AP Physics C, or a second physics courseWorth doing
- Engineering capstone / Engineering Design & DevelopmentIf you have room
Outside class
Robotics competition team
FRC, FTC, VEX. The closest thing high school has to real engineering: a spec, a deadline, a budget, and a team.
From grade 9
Science Olympiad, build events
Bridge, vehicle, and flight events are engineering with a scoreboard.
From grade 9
Rocketry (TARC) or a maker club
Physics you can hold. Cheap to start.
From grade 9
Summer engineering program at a nearby university
Many are free or need-based. Apply in winter of sophomore or junior year, deadlines are early.
From grade 10
A trade skill: welding, machining, electronics
Engineers who can actually make things are noticeably better engineers. A summer CTE course is enough.
From grade 10
Things to build
Build something mechanical and document why it failed the first time
The failure log is the part that shows engineering judgment. Photograph everything.
From grade 9
Fix something real, a bike, a mower, an appliance
Diagnosis is a skill and it's rarely taught. Free to practice.
From grade 8
Enter a design challenge (Rube Goldberg, bridge, solar car)
External deadlines force you to finish, which is the hard part.
From grade 10
Is this actually a fit for you?
Ten minutes of questions, and Bearing turns this into a plan that starts from the grade you're in.
Take the survey