Design?

[EsJuan]

So I have just started my adventure in the IB programme (currently in pre-IB due to education demands in Poland) and I have no idea what university course is best suited for what i would like to do later in life. My passion are cars and I want to go into car design/design overall.  My highers are going to be English, Physics and Economy. Right now is the last moment I can change my subjects of choice (atleast in my school). Does anyone know of a good university/college that has such a course? If anything requires clarification, please notify me.

Thanks!

Edited November 21, 2014 by EsJuan

[Guest Sonia]

So you're interested in car engineering? Are you looking into UK universities or somewhere else?

[Emmi]

Engineering comes to mind if you want to design cars, especially some sort of mechanical engineering field. You'll need higher level math and physics for that, and probably standard level chemistry (you won't need it at higher level unless the university requires that).

 

As for the university, that's going to depend very highly on where you want to study. Each country is different.

[EsJuan]

I'd like to study anywhere in Europe or Canada, not a big fan of the 'States. I'm currently aiming at going to standard level math, so is higher absolutely necessary? Also why does engineering require chemistry?

[Emmi]

I'd like to study anywhere in Europe or Canada, not a big fan of the 'States. I'm currently aiming at going to standard level math, so is higher absolutely necessary? Also why does engineering require chemistry?

 

In the UK, yes. It's absolutely necessary. I'm not sure about the rest of Europe, though. Canada usually lets you in with SL math, but doing HL is a better preparation for you. We do so much math in engineering it's important to have a great background in it.

 

Most types of engineering will not extensively use chemistry, but most can benefit from some knowledge of it. Thermodynamics, materials, etc all come from chemical and physical principles, and you'll probably use those if you want to design cars (engines? Tons of chemistry there. What materials should go into the components? Chemistry. What fuels would be best for my car? Chemistry). Unless your university requires it, or you want to do materials science/chemical engineering you won't need to take it at HL, but you'll want at least SL chemistry. I think Canada wants this, but I'm not sure about the UK/Europe.

[EsJuan]

That sucks, I despise chemistry. But if I plan on designing vehicles from a purely visual and aerodynamical point of view, chemistry shouldn't be as necessary? Also do you know of any decent places to study this? I can't seem to find too many opinions on the internet about the vehicle design courses in universities. And by too many I mean none at all.

[Emmi]

You'll still need to know a little bit. You can't just go "I drew a pretty picture of a car, now let's build it!" Your design would have to hold up against a lot of factors, be efficient, and be fast, among other things. There's a lot of theory involved, chemistry being some of it.

 

The reason you're finding none at all is because you're not going to find many, if at all, universities that offer a "vehicle design" course. You need to be looking broader. Your best bet is a mechanical or aerospace engineering course.

[EsJuan]

But from what I've heard, most IB physics courses do a bit from chemistry, and are not 100% devoted to the study of physics. Since i need to know a little bit, shouldn't that be enough? Also upon researching mechanical and aeronautical engineering on the internet, some universities and schools require a "776" or "555" in higher level subjects. Are those the grades I need to get from my highers in order to be a candidate? Also is a 6-7 in math standard enough, or is higher insanely important. I would have to catch up on almost 3 months of advanced mathematics in order to change groups, and I'd rather not. 

[Emmi]

But from what I've heard, most IB physics courses do a bit from chemistry, and are not 100% devoted to the study of physics. Since i need to know a little bit, shouldn't that be enough? Also upon researching mechanical and aeronautical engineering on the internet, some universities and schools require a "776" or "555" in higher level subjects. Are those the grades I need to get from my highers in order to be a candidate? Also is a 6-7 in math standard enough, or is higher insanely important. I would have to catch up on almost 3 months of advanced mathematics in order to change groups, and I'd rather not. 

 

1. That's thermal physics, not chemistry.

 

2. It may be enough, it may not be enough. Depends on the university.

 

3. Yes, those are the grades you should be aiming for to even be considered for an offer.

 

4. If a university requires HL math for engineering, and you only have SL math, you're not going to be considered unless you have a good reason for not taking HL math, and the only reason that usually works is "my school doesn't offer it, I would have taken it otherwise." HL math is really important. So far in engineering school I've taken three semesters of calculus through calculus in more than one variable, differential equations, and linear algebra. There's no way SL math is even close to being enough for an engineering course. If you don't have HL math, you'll need to take lots of math in uni to catch up. There's no way around it.

[EsJuan]

Has anyone anything about the University of Delft? It seems like a cool place, it isn't that far from my country which is a huge benefit and overall seems pretty nice. Does anyone know somebody that managed to get there? There's alot of mixed opinions about it...