If you’re thinking about the California Institute of Technology, you probably have a mental image of a bunch of geniuses sitting in a room scribbling physics equations on glass windows. Honestly? That’s not entirely wrong. But when you look at the actual spread of california institute of technology majors, the reality is way more nuanced than just "engineering." It’s a tiny school. We’re talking about roughly 1,000 undergraduates total. Because of that, the way majors work at Caltech is fundamentally different from a massive state school or even a larger Ivy. You aren't just a number in a lecture hall of five hundred people. You're usually in a room with twenty people, and half of them are probably going to win a Nobel Prize or start a multi-billion dollar tech firm eventually.
Most people assume everyone at Caltech is a Computer Science major. While CS is definitely the biggest "Option"—which is what Caltech calls majors—it’s not the whole story. The curriculum is designed to be punishingly difficult across the board, regardless of what you pick. You spend your first few terms on a pass/fail system because the "Core" is so intense. They basically force-feed you a decade's worth of math and science in a year.
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The Reality of Computer Science at Caltech
CS is the powerhouse. It’s the most popular of the california institute of technology majors by a long shot. But here’s the thing: Caltech doesn’t teach you how to "code" in the way a bootcamp does. They teach you the underlying math of computation. You’ll be looking at discrete math, algorithms, and complexity theory until your eyes bleed.
If you want to build the next big app, you can do that. But Caltech is where you go if you want to build the language that the next big app is written in. The focus is heavily on research. Students often collaborate with Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) or work on quantum computing projects that sound like science fiction. You might be a sophomore working on distributed systems that manage data for Mars rovers. It’s that kind of vibe.
There’s also a big push into Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, which is pretty standard for 2026, but Caltech integrates it with other fields. You’ll see CS majors double-majoring or minoring in things like Biology or Economics. They call it "interdisciplinary," but basically, it just means everyone is doing two full-time jobs at once.
Physics and the Ghost of Richard Feynman
You can’t talk about california institute of technology majors without mentioning Physics. This is the department that defined the school’s identity for decades. Names like Feynman and Thorne aren’t just names in a textbook here; they are the foundation of the culture.
The Physics major at Caltech is arguably the hardest undergraduate program in the world. It’s not just about learning Newtonian mechanics. By the time you’re a junior, you’re diving into quantum field theory and general relativity. Most schools save that for grad students. At Caltech, it’s just Tuesday.
- Experimental Physics: You’ll spend time in labs that look like the set of a high-budget sci-fi movie.
- Theoretical Physics: This is for the "blackboard and coffee" crowd.
- Astrophysics: Since Caltech manages JPL for NASA, the access to real-world space data is unmatched.
Actually, the connection to JPL is a huge reason why people choose the Physics or Aerospace tracks. You aren't just studying stars; you're often looking at data coming back from the James Webb Space Telescope or preparing for the next Europa mission.
The Rise of Bioengineering and "Wet" Sciences
For a long time, Caltech was seen as a "hard" math and physics school. Biology was there, sure, but it wasn't the headliner. That has changed massively. Bioengineering (BE) is now one of the fastest-growing california institute of technology majors.
It’s not just "pre-med." In fact, Caltech isn't really a pre-med factory. Most Bio students here are looking at synthetic biology, neurobiology, or molecular biophysics. They want to engineer cells like they engineer circuits.
The Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience is a big deal on campus. It’s brought a ton of funding and focus to how the brain works. So, if you’re a Bio major, you’re likely working with high-end imaging tech or CRISPR sequences. It’s very much "Biology as Engineering." If you want to hold a pipette and look at fruit flies, you can, but you're more likely to be building a computer model of how that fruit fly's neurons fire in real-time.
What People Get Wrong About Humanities at Caltech
This is the part that surprises everyone. You cannot graduate from Caltech without taking a significant number of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) courses. In fact, about one-fifth of the courses a student takes must be in HSS.
There are actual california institute of technology majors in things like English, History, and Philosophy. Now, do many people major only in English at Caltech? No. Usually, it’s a second major for a physicist who happens to love Shakespeare. But the HSS department is surprisingly elite. Because the school is so small, you might take a History of Science class taught by one of the world's leading experts in the field.
The Economics major is also sleeper-hit. It’s extremely quantitative. It’s basically applied math and game theory. If you major in Econ at Caltech, you aren't just learning about supply and demand; you're building mathematical models of market behaviors that hedge funds would kill for.
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: Building the Future
If you want to build things that move, these are the tracks. Mechanical Engineering at Caltech is very hands-on, which is a nice break from the abstract math of the other majors. The Jim Hall Design and Prototyping Lab is basically a playground for people who like tools.
Aerospace is where the JPL connection really shines. Caltech has a dedicated "GALCIT" (Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology) program that undergrads can get involved in. We are talking about hypersonic flow, autonomous drones, and space propulsion.
It’s worth noting that "Mechanical Engineering" at Caltech is often a gateway to robotics. With the rise of AI, the robotics scene on campus has exploded. You’ll see students in the ditches behind the buildings testing autonomous rovers or quadcopters that can navigate through forests without GPS.
Surprising Facts About Caltech Majors
- The Core is Universal: Every single student, whether they are a Literature major or a Chemist, has to take five terms of math (Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, etc.) and five terms of physics.
- No Grades First Semester: To help students survive the transition, Caltech uses a "Pass/Fail" system for the entire first year (though this occasionally tweaks depending on faculty votes, the spirit remains).
- SURFing is Mandatory (Basically): The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) is how most students spend their summers. You get paid to do real research. It’s not an internship where you get coffee; it’s a job where you get data.
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Caltech’s Chemistry department is legendary. Think Linus Pauling. The school has a massive footprint in the world of chemical research. If you choose Chemistry, you’re entering a world of high-stakes lab work.
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Chemical Engineering is a bit different. It’s much more focused on the "how" of large-scale production. Think about sustainable energy, battery technology, and carbon capture. In 2026, a huge portion of the ChemE department is focused on climate tech. They’re trying to figure out how to pull CO2 out of the air or create the next generation of solid-state batteries. It’s gritty, difficult, and incredibly relevant.
The "Option" System and Flexibility
One thing you've gotta understand is how flexible the majors actually are. Because the student body is so small, you can kind of craft your own path. If you’re a Geobiology major (yes, that’s a real thing) but you want to take advanced Machine Learning classes, nobody stops you. In fact, it’s encouraged.
The california institute of technology majors are designed to overlap. The boundaries between "Electrical Engineering" and "Applied Physics" are pretty blurry. Most students find themselves gravitating toward a specific research lab, and their major follows whatever that lab does.
Is It Worth the Stress?
Let’s be honest: Caltech is a pressure cooker. The workload is famously heavy. People call it "drinking from a firehose." You’re surrounded by people who were the smartest person in their entire state, and suddenly they’re struggling to get a C in Multivariable Calculus.
But the payoff is the network and the sheer depth of knowledge. When you graduate with one of the california institute of technology majors, you aren't just "qualified." You’ve been through a sort of academic special forces training. Companies like SpaceX, Google, and NVIDIA don't just recruit here; they practically live here.
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Actionable Next Steps for Future Applicants
If you are actually serious about pursuing one of these majors, stop worrying about your SAT scores for a second. Everyone has a high score. Focus on these three things instead:
- Deep Research: Look into the SURF program specifically. If you can talk about a specific lab at Caltech that you want to work in during your first summer, you're already ahead of 90% of applicants.
- The Core Curriculum: Don’t just look at the major requirements. Look at the "Core." Make sure you are actually okay with taking two years of intense physics and math, even if you want to major in Biology or Economics. If that sounds like a nightmare, Caltech isn't for you.
- Passion Projects: Caltech loves "makers." Whether it’s a telescope you built in your backyard or a piece of software you wrote to track local bird migrations, they want to see that you can apply science, not just memorize it.
Check the official Caltech Catalog for the specific course requirements of each "Option." It changes slightly every year, but the rigor never drops. If you want to be at the absolute edge of what humans know about the universe, this is where you go. Just don't expect to get much sleep.