<p>Okay so I got admitted to the mechanical engineering program at the University of Texas and I am unsure which minor I should pursue. </p>
<p>My ultimate plans are to go on to graduate school for a PhD in materials science and I am choosing between a chemistry minor or a physics minor, which do you think would best enable me to adequately prepare for my top MatSci programs?</p>
<p>then why dont you do a major in MSE?</p>
<p>UT does not have a MSE major, they have a certificate program through the mechanical engineering department.</p>
<p>Your minor really doesn’t matter that much in PhD admissions. I would take a look at the courses required for each minor, then pick the one that has the most courses that you actually want to take.</p>
<p>There’s both chemistry and physics in MSE, it just depends on which subdiscipline you want to get into. If you want semiconductor technology, go with physics. If you want ceramics/oxides or polymers, then chemistry is probably a better bet.</p>
<p>@G.P. Burdell, I dont anticipate the minor having an affect on PhD admission I just wanted to know which one would give me the best base of knowledge to learn more outside my degree plan. I should have about a year of college through APs (if I pass them all) so I could do both but the policy of the engineering college is to only pursue one minor, so I want it to be one that I enjoy and that best prepares me for my future.</p>
<p>So far my reasons breakdown as follows:</p>
<p>Physics:
love it, I am really good at physics, I already some quantum mechanics through research so I wanted to take it in college</p>
<p>Chemistry:
Not a strong base bc the teacher did not teach well so I don’t know alot, but I want to learn chemistry and not leave gaps in my education. Right now there is only a semester of general chem in the MechE degree plan and I was thinking that for MatSci you might need to know more.</p>
<p>My undergrad only required the first semester of chem and the lab that went along with it. I took Chem 2 for an easy A. There was a choice between taking Organic Chemistry or Quantum Physics for MSE majors, with people usually taking whichever one corresponded to their personal interests (metals & semiconductor people usually doing quantum and biomaterials & polymer people doing organic).</p>
<p>It’s really up to you. Here in grad school I have friends in MSE that were both physics and chemistry majors.</p>