Hi! Incoming student at UMich.
I'm admitted to CoE and will be attending this fall. As someone interested in renewable energy, I know that the only way I can tie these interests together are largely through graduate programs in renewable energy engineering. I'm aware of Michigan's SEAS and PitE, however I am largely passionate of R&D in renewable energy.
The options that I am aware of are: Electrical Engineering, MechE, ChemE, Nuclear Engineering, and Industrial Engineering. I also understand it takes time to decide but I'd like to hear from students to gain more knowledge!
While I could double major in engineering, I'm aware of how overambitious it is and how different these engineering majors become (besides I'm guessing industrial engineering) as I become a senior.
Right now I'm most passionate about Electrical Engineering or Nuclear Engineering. Electrical engineering will deal with all sorts of power systems, energy/energy generation, but also solar panels. I'm aware that EE's also are a large part of the nuclear power industry. However I think Nuclear Engineering would also provide tremendous opportunities in nuclear engineering especially as investment rises (and I think it is one of the best if not the best source of energy).
I could also double major in industrial engineering if credits are similar because optimization is crucial in any industry. For EE I like the idea of being able to dual major in CS (and not needing a ton more credits) for flexibility and as CS is more increasingly used in optimization for the renewable energy industry.
Thank you so muh!