<p>A few of my university friends are probably going that route. I'm keeping my graduate options open, so I'm considering a myriad of things.</p>
<p>M.A./M.S. Physical Sciences
M.A./M.S. Physics
M.A./M.S. Applied Physics
Professional Science Masters (PSM) Physics</p>
<p>or some sort engineering graduate</p>
<p>For the B.S. Physics guys who went the engineering route, what was the transition like? Is engineering "easier"? Of course, a lot of that depends on which engineering specialty.</p>
<p>Something to consider: what will you want to be doing with your M.S. in Physics? Most research positions and definitely almost all faculty positions require at least a Ph.D., which is different from engineering [somewhat].</p>
<p>Sorry about that. I’m leaning more towards industry, applied science, even technical management with the PSM. I’m reasonably certain I don’t want to go into academia, so a straight Physics M.S. is probably a last option. But, honestly, I do not have a specific career in mind. I know that’s not helpful, but it is what it is.</p>
<p>Well if you know that you’re into things like physics and engineering, you might try to go on Popular Science’s or Wired’s website (not kidding) and check out all the stuff that’s going on in industry research and development. See what interests you. If it’s building cool little gadgets then you might consider electrical/computer engineering. If you think building programs to model the human brain or mathematically predicting economic somethingorothers is cool then CS or mathematics might be for you. If you think quantum mechanics or colliding galaxies is for you, then you might consider physics/astrophysics/astronomy. If you think airplanes or rockets are cool then aerospace engineering might be for you. If you think synthetic organisms or organic materials is cool then you may consider bioengineering or biophysics. If you think metamaterials like carbon nantotubes are cool then you may consider materials engineering and nanotechnology. If you think engines and moving parts are cool then mechanical engineering may be for you. If building prosthetic limbs for amputees and having them be able to control them just as they would real limbs then neuroscience/biomedical/electrical engineering may be for you. If you like virus mutation or infectious diseases/cancer then medical research may be for you.</p>
<p>I mean, I have just taken a cursory look at some cool modern day science and technology. Do a bunch of reading and see not only what you would want to be doing now, but what field you like in general. There’s no guarantee that whatever specific niche you may decide to aim for will even exist still by the time you get to work on it. That’s not always a bad thing, in 10 years there may be brand new fields that we couldn’t possibly imagine right now.</p>
<p>I guess I should have given a little background. I’m a physics major/math minor junior right now. If I did engineering, I’d probably do some type of civil, maybe structural. I’ve always appreciated architecture, large structures, etc., but I’m not too terribly excited about it, though. I’m far more interested in the physics theory and mathematics. That’s why I chose my major and minor. Just off the top of my head for applied science, I’d like to work on fusion or other high-energy power sources, and for pure science, I’d like to study general relativity and gravitation.</p>
<p>As far as energy goes, nuclear physics might be interesting to you. Fusion is something that’s done in collaboration with a lot of experts in different fields and obviously it’s a real hard nut to crack. For other energy-related research, I think electrical and mechanical engineering is a good idea.</p>
<p>General relativity and gravitation happens to be very prominent when modeling stellar systems in astrophysics. If you’re interested in a computational field (read: lots of programming) that involves stars, galaxies, stellar gases, black holes, etc. then astrophysics might be interesting to you.</p>
<p>As a warning: if you decide to go with astrophysics, a master’s is not enough. Infact, I’d go as far to say that without a Ph.D, there aren’t very many options for you as a physicist by profession (especially given your interests). I think if you want to play it safe then engineering sounds like a good plan and many physics students can get into masters engineering programs, though it might help if you took a few engineering courses. In fact, I read a thread that may be useful to you on the physics forums:
<a href=“Would anyone hire me with just a BS in Physics?”>Would anyone hire me with just a BS in Physics?;
<p>You should check out post number 7 specifically as I think it gives some very good advice if you’re interested in electrical engineering-related jobs.</p>
<p>But if astrophysics is your love and passion, then you should go for it if you really feel that you can’t live without it. However, if you decide that you want to apply to some good Ph.D physics programs, you will want to have a 3.5+ GPA and some research experience. If you’ve just started your junior year then you might want to get on that. One of the great things about getting a Ph.D in physics (and this happens for engineering as well) is that most of the time students get fully funded, although sometimes they have to work as RA’s and TA’s, it’s still better than nothing, and you receive a stipend ontop of that. The master’s degree, on the other hand, is coming out of your pocket, but getting a Ph.D is hard work and will take you probably 3 times as long as a M.S. will and you must do original research (that is your thesis for 4ish years) to graduate.</p>
<p>Anyway, that’s what I know.</p>
<p>Thanks for the good advice. I plan on taking a particle physics course as an elective. I’m currently taking Modern Physics II, which is really undergrad quantum mechanics at my university. I’m hoping and I think we’ll cover atomic and nuclear physics when we look at some QM applications. I don’t really have an interest in astrophysics but more into the nature of the gravitational force and general relativity. Working on harnessing fusion energy is attractive to me as well as gravitational/general relativity research. It is surprisingly the least understood force, yet the other three have collapsed into the electroweak force in QED and QFT. I’m not sure there’s a whole lot of relativity or gravitation research out there, though.</p>
<p>Those are all romantic ideas, I suppose. Graduate engineering might be easier and more than likely will pay a lot better in industry. In that respect, I should look at civil/structural, maybe nuclear, etc.</p>
<p>Ahh, I see now. So your real interest will probably be in things like elementary particles. Particle physics just might be your thing, which is good because there are a few things you can do in particle physics if you don’t end up working as faculty at Harvard or physicist at CERN’s LHC. There are many industry opportunities for physicists who have an interest in nanotechnology, condensed matter, things like that and it’s not too far from particle physics in some respect, though particle physics usually tries to answer the more fundamental questions.</p>
<p>A lot of people think that physicists might find it hard to find jobs because they’re ‘blue skies’ oriented, and this is true in a lot of cases, but there are fields where physicists can essentially be like engineers in industry, though they will almost always be in research and development (which is good because usually this is what physicists love to do). Again though, if you’re looking to do physics you will almost always need a Ph.D, but if you love physics then this shouldn’t be a problem (afterall, you get paid to do some more physics research and learn more ontop of getting to be called ‘Doctor’, it’s just great).</p>
<p>The problem with not being interested in Astrophysics but wanting to do research in Gravitation and General Relativity is that Astrophysics and Astronomy are currently the only fields that Gravitation and General Relativity have any relevance to. Gravity is such a weak force that it only becomes significant when we investigate planets, stars and galaxies. While there may be some applications I am not aware of, I believe General Relativity is usually studied in relation to Cosmology related subjects like the Big Bang and to astronomical bodies with intense gravitational fields like neutron stars and black holes. Therefore, I think you would need some background in Astronomy and Astrophysics to do research on Gravitation and General Relativity.</p>
<p>Fusion power is also related to Astronomy in that it is the means by which stars produce energy. Actual research in nuclear fusion would probably require a PhD in Plasma Physics in addition to a background in nuclear engineering.</p>
<p>Beyond the issue of “which engineering speciality”, how would it work to go from a BS Physics to a graduate engineering program? Does the grad student have to go back and take some undergraduate level engineering classes?</p>
<p>Well, I know for sure I want to get some kind of graduate degree. I’ll be 28 when I graduate with my B.S., and I know for sure I do not want to work on a Ph.D right now, maybe ever. I don’t even have to have a technical job but instead something that would benefit greatly from a math and physics background. What kind(s) of career that is I don’t know either. My problem is that nothing whatsoever as a career jumps out at me.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>In virtually all cases, yes.</p>
<p>If you’re a physics student who is interested in engineering, then one option to consider is an undergraduate B.Sc. degree is Engineering Physics. Go to ABET (American Board of Engineering Technology) website [Accredited</a> Programs Search](<a href=“http://www.abet.org/AccredProgramSearch/AccreditationSearch.aspx]Accredited”>http://www.abet.org/AccredProgramSearch/AccreditationSearch.aspx) and see which colleges have an ABET approved Engineering Physics program. At the undergrad level it is more rigorous than a B.Sc. in physics and B.Sc. in any engineering discipline. In the last 2 years you must take design courses in electrical, mechanical or aerospace engineering. I believe Cornell and Cal Tech are the two top schools for an Engineering Physics degree. </p>
<p>A standard physics degree is lacking in engineering design, economics and computational numerical analysis (programming) courses. A standard engineering discipline degree is lacking in advanced math, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics and solid state courses that you need to have for an understanding of graduate level courses in engineering.</p>
<p>I’m still considering and maybe leaning to work on some sort of physics degree. However, since I don’t plan on academia, I want to make the choice that makes the most sense. If I do engineering, really the only question I need to answer is what would I enjoy building. And I still don’t know of a non-technical career that would uniquely benefit from a solid math/physics undergrad degree. </p>
<p>M.A./M.S. Physical Sciences
M.A./M.S. Physics
M.A./M.S. Applied Physics
Professional Science Masters (PSM) Physics</p>
<p>I would like to add, an Engineering Physics major can go straight in to an M.Sc. program in electrical, mechanical or aerospace engineering if they took that particular discipline’s design courses as an undergraduate. They can also go straight in to a graduate physics program as well. An Engineering Physics student also qualifies to take a Professional Engineer’s license for electrical or mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>Shackleford,</p>
<p>If you like engineering, then get in to an ABET accredited engineering program. Physics degrees vary from school to school. Many employers’ personnel dept. will only look at the title of the degree before a resume is sorted for more evaluation regardless of GPA. If the job opening says “engineer” then that is your only way.</p>
<p>That’s my point. I like physics and mathematics. I’m only looking at engineering because it would make sense as a career especially since I don’t plan on academia. However, I’m discovering that there are physics and physical sciences graduate programs tailored towards industry. This route is probably the way I’ll go, but I’m still looking at the options at this point, though I don’t need to start making arrangements for about a year or so.</p>
<p>Many physical science programs are geared toward industry, but then these are not ABET accredited programs, and in that instance you should look at more selective colleges if you’re interested in the applied sciences/physics program.</p>
<p>Since you don’t plan on academia, and are 28 years old, paying the bills is important. In my opinion you should stick to a traditional engineering major at a college that will let you take more physics courses as electives.</p>
<p>I thought ABET accreditation was only for engineering programs, not physics/physical sciences graduate programs.</p>
<p>Also, I just turned 26. I’ll be 28 when I graduate with my B.S. Physics. If I attend a school in Houston where I live, I can stay with my current job and still attend graduate school.</p>
<p>That’s what I said “Many physical science programs are geared toward industry, but then these are not ABET accredited programs,”</p>
<p>If you can go to Rice that would be great.</p>