<p>I am a junior Screenwriting major, but am thinking about going to grad school for Physics. I have taken physics and Calculus before and they both came very naturally to me, but I also love Screenwriting so I went with it for my major. I am planning on taking 3-4 general Physics classes before I graduate and then self-prepare for the GRE and the Physics subject test. If I can do well at both, will I be able to study Physics anywhere decent?</p>
<p>In theory yes - in practice, there’s more you need to do to be competitive. It really depends on your goals, though - if you take the right prerequisites you might be competitive for some mid-tier physics MS programs.</p>
<p>If you want a PhD, though, most students in the physical sciences have research experience before getting into a PhD program. 2 years of part-time experience is usually what makes people competitive for these programs.</p>
<p>Physics is not my field, but there are a couple of people in the fields on here so maybe they will come and give a better answer.</p>
<p>You can certainly switch to physics, however, you will have to take more than general physics classes. Any physics graduate program will expect you to have Calculus through Differential Equations and one semester each (at least) of Modern Physics, Classical Dynamics, Electrodynamics, Statistical Physics, Electronics (Circuits) Laboratory, and Quantum Mechanics. All of these beyond the introductory General Physics sequence which is usually 2-3 semesters. Even so, you might want to go for a Masters degree first and then apply to a Ph.D. program after you have shown your competence at the graduate level in physics.</p>
<p>There are two sides to this:
First, I’m not sure if any program, even a funded MS one, would admit you with that kind of preparation. I don’t think a good PGRE score would help that much unless you take some upper level courses. How is any grad program going to admit someone who has not even had quantum mechancis? About the math, you’re supposed to have a good grounding in single and multivariate Calculus, Differential Equations, Liner Algebra,… If you want to be sure which courses you need to take, you can also email the graduate advisor of the physics departments you want to apply to, or the physics department of your university. </p>
<p>Second, I think you can’t be sure if physics is something you would want as a career path unless you go more deeply into it. Your knowledge of physics seems to be limited to some general stuff. If you take more advanced courses, do some research, or gain any kind of experience with physics, (the more the better,) you will be better able to decide if you really want to go into physics. If you’re going for a PhD, you first need to know if you enjoy doing research in physics as well. Also, I advise you to look into the career prospects of the field you’re getting into, and not base your decision solely on interest.</p>
<p>Ok, so you guys talked about having to take more classes. Where can I take these classes? Surely they wouldn’t be offered at my local community colleges as they are a bit higher-tiered education.</p>
<p>sorry, I meant a self-funded MS (in my second line). </p>
<p>You can take Mathematics through Differential Equations at a Community College. Physics at these schools will only be available through 3 semester of General Physics. This leaves you short of about 4-5 courses for minimal prerequisites. You can take those as a non-degree student at a 4-year school. </p>