<p>That is a reasonable analogy. Applied mechanics tends to be quite a bit less applied than mechanical engineering. It is a much more theory-rich field at the undergraduate level, though once you get up to the PhD level, they are basically identical. It seems like most of my friends who did applied mechanics ended up doing graduate school afterward.</p>
<p>Also, the idea of the “prestige” of a degree is nonsense. Do the degree that you are passionate about and that you see yourself doing for a living when you are done.</p>