<p>I get in the department of Physics at UIUC. Still there's something I want to know. Can I choose the ENGINEERING PHYSICS curriculum if I don't actually get into the college of engineering? Does the department of Physics REALLY offer a bachelor's degree from both colleges (LAS & Eng)?</p>
<p>The physics department is actually in the engineering college. You can get a physics major degree which is actually awarded by the LAS college (although effectively controlled by the engineering college). A major in engineering physics is awarded a BS in engineering by the engineering college. If you are admitted as a physics major, you cannot just switch yourself to being an engineering physics major. Your department has to approve the switch which you can usually make after first year. Since it is a change in major within the department, it is not that difficult to do as long as grades are OK. Moreover, as a physics major you can also attempt to switch, usually after first year or second year, to any other engineering major and the attempt to switch will be treated as an inter-departmental switch within the engineering college, rather than an inter-college switch from LAS to engineering. The importance of that is that it is usually easier to make an inter-departmental switch than inter-college switch.</p>
<p>I’m a freshman and I’m gonna be majoring in aerospace engineering and possibly engineering physics. I was just wondering if anyone can give me any advice on how hard the classes will be.</p>
<p>Are the physics classes really tough?
I’m gonna go in with credit for PHYS 211 and PHYS 212 so I’ll be taking PHYS 213/214 first semester…</p>
<p>Good idea or no?</p>
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<p>The 200 level physics courses aren’t terribly difficult, although if you don’t have the proper background they can be hard (I didn’t, so I took remedial physics. After that, they weren’t so bad). They are courses you can plug and chug your way through.</p>
<p>I’m not a physics major (although I may take a few physics classes), but I hear that once you hit the physics-major only courses, there is a sharp jump in difficulty. You’ll be expected to understand derivations and be a little more proficient with mathematics.</p>
<p>@OP</p>
<p>The LAS physics requirements are practically the same as the engineering physics requirements. You take the same courses. I don’t see why it’s so important to switch between them unless you want to take engineering classes, like maybe some courses in electronics over in the ECE dept. or whatever.</p>