1. Materials Science
2. Engineering Mechanics and Dynamics
3. Thermodynamics, Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer
4. Manufacturing and Design
Which of those is "obselete"?
As an engineering manager, I could do quite a bit with a student who aced the first 3. I could care less about #4, because they could learn that on the job. What people still don't seem to get is that theory differentiates the engineers from technicians. The theory is also extremely difficult. The theory also rarely changes. Most of the really "cool stuff" that people are doing nowadays in all engineering disciplines are outgrowths and developments from theoretical underpinnings laid forth 30-50 years ago.
