Applied vs Pure Math for an Engineering Student I'm an electrical engineering student specializing in communications. I decided 1 year into my undergraduate studies to pursue a degree in mathematics alongside my engineering degree. I plan on going to engineering research (PhD) and possibly working in the industry after a while. I know that applied math would make more sense but I'm asking whether it would make that much of a difference if I went with Pure instead. 

One reason I'm asking this is that Pure Math has more "beautiful" courses that made me decide on math in the first place. Moreover, the two degrees aren't that different in terms of required courses. Finally, Applied would take me more time to complete because my math course choices in that my 2nd year were oriented towards Pure. I'm completely willing to spend that extra time pursuing applied. I'm just wondering wether it would make a difference.
Believe it or not, following the "pure" track might help you out more. 

I used to have an "applied concentration" to my math major, which meant I had to take mathematical modeling classes, graph theory, operations research I &amp; II, etc. on top of my core classes. When I decided to go the PhD route (applied), my advisor recommended I drop the applied concentration in favor of the pure, reason being that the pure classes will give me more breadth and better preparation for grad school.

Ultimately, this meant that I had to take abstract algebra, adv. Calc I &amp; II (also known as elem. real analysis), a proof writing class, etc. I did end up taking the modeling class as an elective. 

From the point of view of my advisor (who is on the grad. Admissions committee at my school) these aforementioned classes show capacity and mathematical maturity to a greater extent than the applied courses, which is what departments would like to see when considering your PhD application. Plus, they give you a foundation to build upon once in grad school.

So, I'd say take the pure classes and cherry pick (smartly) the applied ones as electives. This will ensure you're more prepared for the rigor you'll encounter wherever you decide to go. 

Best of luck!