<p>I'm an EE major and I've recently been harbouring thoughts of switching to physics. I like EE and all, but its not ideal for me even though it is extremely practical.
Naturally, I like math and physics so I decided to go for an EE degree, hoping that it would give me a good dose of both and will also keep me highly employable.
Thats all well and good but I have the feeling I'm not being true to myself and should do physics instead. Even with engineering I am really only interested in higher level research-type of work, mostly in the semiconductor and nanotech fields. I have heard these fields overlap quite a bit with physics. So my question is, how employable would a physics grad be out of college if he does things right?
I don't plan on being narrow and completely theoretical. I would add as many EE and maybe even econ/finance classes to my curricula as possible. The physics major isn't that big (compared to EE) so I should be able to take plenty of extra classes in EE and other fields. I will even try to get internships though that might be a bit difficult. And in the end, I am prepared and willing to go to grad school... in engineering, business, medical, physics, or whatever seems to really sit well with me. At the end of my four years will I be reasonably employable?
Looking forward to your input!</p>
<p>Two things...</p>
<p>1) Folks with physics degrees are pretty employable, from what I've seen. Might be a really good option for you.
2) Engineering can get ridiculously theoretical. It might seem highly practically-based right now, but it'll get more theoretical the deeper you go, and there'll be plenty more math/physics-heavy courses in grad school. Maybe deserves another look.</p>
<p>Talk to some profs, and develop some professional contacts through some online mentoring communities. They might be able to tell you a bit more about what each of the two paths have in store for you, should you choose them.</p>
<p>How far in are you?</p>
<p>If you're not going to grad school, physics will not be so employable. Basically you have a degree that shows you are smart and can think mathematically, with no specific skill. </p>
<p>If you are going to grad school, there will not be much difference between electrical and physics theory-wise (assuming you are researching a topic common to both fields.)</p>
<p>I'd stick with electrical unless:
a. You are interested in something completely outside of the realm of electrical
b. You truly love physics (quantum field theory, elementary particles, high energy physics, mathematical physics, etc)</p>
<p>"If you are going to grad school, there will not be much difference between electrical and physics theory-wise (assuming you are researching a topic common to both fields.)"
Thats good to know.
I've looked at my school's EE graduate courses and they seem pretty interesting to me. But its the undergrad courses that seem a lot more interesting in physics than in EE. I've really just started my degree. I will be taking my first EE course next quarter so this is all a bit premature, I know. Basically, I really found the physics section on circuits (V=IR, Q=VC, etc) to be rather boring, though I really liked electrostatics. And thats what made me rethink my choice of major.
Could someone also suggest which direction in EE has most amount of physics/theory? I'm not too interested in doing design work.</p>
<p>Whether you do design work or not is up to you, and generally a graduate degree will make more qualified for theoretical work. </p>
<p>a BSEE will give you a lot of useful skills, as it is arguably the most mathematically involved engineering discipline and will enhance your progamming/computer abilities. And if you want to find a job right after a bachelors, youll probably have an easier time.</p>
<p>here are some examples of research in electrical
ELECTRICAL</a> ENGINEERING: Research</p>
<p>compare to some physics research
Physics</a> Research Groups at Caltech</p>
<p>I found that the circuit section of physics was not representative of the circuit classes I took, just a different feel.</p>
<p>To me, the most "physics-ish" areas of EE that I've seen are in the areas of physical/quantum electronics, electromagnetics, and acoustics. At least that is the impression I've received as a sophomore in EE. Although EE as a whole is very mathematical, I would say that control systems is particularly mathematical--while the math itself can get intensely theoretical, control theory can be applied to systems outside of engineering (i.e. economics models).</p>
<p>Also, judging from your posts and your interest in physics and research, you sound like the type of individual who doesn't like to just memorize formulas without understanding the derivation or theory behind such formulas. I would just give it some time because when you take classes such as differential equations (assuming you haven't taken it already), linear algebra, and a more intermediate-level EE course, you'll see how it all comes together.</p>
<p>Yes, you're exactly right easternboarder... that is how I like to learn things. I hate memorizing things so understanding complex formulas is the only way to work with them. This usually makes me slower than others at doing things but I'm able to solve a greater variety of problems this way.</p>
<p>And could you please expand a little bit on those "physics-ish" areas you mentioned, especially quantum electronics and control theory? It sounds pretty interesting.</p>
<p>I haven't taken diff. eq. yet... doing Stokes/Greens thm stuff right now. So math is fairly theoretical, fun, and hard... which is good. Physics is similar (except for circuits). I just have to wait and see how the EE courses end up being. I'm just not too enthralled about learning how to use an O-scope or something like that. That is all good and fun though, as long as we get to more important/complex things.</p>
<p>i seem to be having the same problems as the OP, except i cant decide between math, physics, and mechanical engineering. but i'm a junior and have already completed all the lower-div and math and physics and some upper-div!</p>
<p>pure math seems the most interesting, especially proofs in linear algedra, but i'm not willing to sacrifice a career to get a phd in pure math. lagrangian mechanics was boring, but i'll wait to take upper-div E&M before i decide to continue to pursue physics or not</p>
<p>Can you double major?</p>
<p>I'm just going to stick with the EE for now and see where it takes me. Either way, its likely that I'll end up working in industry so an engineering degree will probably be a more solid career choice. And who knows, maybe I can use that fact to leverage into positions that involve more interesting work, especially with a masters?</p>
<p>Newton, I guess if you've already completed your physics requirements you could just do physics and take some interesting courses on the side? I just feel that engineering is a better career choice while physics is a far nobler intellectual pursuit. Heh, so its still hard to decide...</p>
<p>Why not try to double major? If not that, it shouldn't be that difficult to get a minor in physics. If you're interested in working with very physics-oriented EE problems, a strong background in physics could be a huge bonus.</p>
<p>A double major would make it difficult to graduate in a reasonable amount of time and my school doesn't offer a physics minor. They have a math minor, but thats not really what I'm looking for. I suppose my best bet would be to contact a department head so that I may be allowed to take additional physics courses.</p>
<p>i would double major, but i kinda want to work on my social life...</p>
<p>I would at least talk to the physics dept about a possible double major. Sometimes they are willing to ease up on some course requirements as some EE courses are so similiar. Don't assume you can't do it. Find out the facts and then you can make a decision.</p>
<p>I don't know if your school offers one but you may consider looking into a degree in applied mechanics. I am currently a senior in the program and i know of several graduate students who do research with semiconductor and nano technology.</p>