<p>I currently on track to graduate with a B.S. in Computer Science and Physics. I am on the fence on which masters program I should pursue. I want to deal with new technologies like sustainable energy and things like Tesla motors. Which degree would be more beneficial for the field I described or is there another engineering program that would better fit?</p>
<p>There are only a handful of universities that offer master’s degrees in either Computational Physics or Engineering Physics. The M.S. or M.Eng in Engineering Physics will have a curriculum like the following:</p>
<p>Graduate-Level Mechanics
Graduate-Level Electromagnetics
Graduate-Level Quantum Mechanics
Graduate-Level Statistical Mechanics
Graduate-Level Applied Mathematics Course
Elective: Engineering, Physics or Computer Science
Elective: Engineering, Physics or Computer Science
Elective: Engineering, Physics or Computer Science
Elective: Engineering, Physics or Computer Science
Project or Thesis or Elective: Engineering, Physics or Computer Science</p>
<p>You would have to hope that for the few schools that offer M.S. or M.Eng in Engineering Physics, that the sustainable energy/Tesla motors topics are: 1) offered and 2) are part of either Engineering or Physics departments and can be approved for the program.</p>
<p>As for Computational Physics, even fewer graduate programs in that as more schools are heading to Computational Science/Computational Engineering graduate programs for computational-intensive majors. Still, the same concept would apply. You will have to hope that the Computational Science program allow sustainable energy/Tesla motors courses to count.</p>
<p>I would:</p>
<p>Research schools that teach (and/or do research in) sustainable energy/Tesla motors and they will advise you on which program is best (Engineering Physics or not) for you.</p>
<p>I’m not sure you understand you exactly what “computational physics” is. It’s not unlike those high school graduates who claim they just want to study “theoretical physics”. </p>
<p>Computational physics is not a field in an of it self, but a sub-discipline of the different specialties within physics. For example, someone could be working on something esoteric like modelling the behavior of quarks at high energies, while someone else could be working on something practical such as modelling hydrodynamic turbulence. Both are “computational physicists”, but as you can see are in completely different fields. </p>
<p>As for engineering physics, my impression for most programs is that there is an emphasis of using the principles of quantum mechanics to solve practical problems. This would be great if you want to do some energy generation from a nuclear or even fusion approach, but things like Tesla Motors are not really at the cutting-edge of energy generation research. For things like that and for most energy generation topics, mechanical engineering is the obvious choice. </p>
<p>@GLOBALTRAVELER @MAGMA55 If I am not mistaken, by Tesla Motors I mean the car company (full electric sports cars that is based on software). I am liking the idea of quantum mechanics. I am just more debating about which engineering would be best for: efficiency in batteries, capacitors, solar energy and implementing these things into, for example, cars.</p>
<p>From reading that, a lot of material science/engineering departments do research in those fields. But research in this field is highly specialized and more likely you’d have to pick one technology to focus on and devote your life to. If you want to be more of a “generalist”, mechanical is the best option IMO. </p>
<p>@Magma55 Thank you Magma55 for your response. I am going to find a college that has capacitors and solar energy in their curriculum. I am planning to go to Stanford, hopefully they have a nice program. </p>
<p>Does the undergraduate level not have classes that deal with semiconductor, Photovoltaic and Piezoelectric devices. We covered this in Solid State Physics in the EE curriculum. You may be able to pick these up as an undergrad. </p>
<p>@tyjay516 Most physics curriculum have no device courses. Some will have two semesters of basic electronics that cover diodes, transistors, amplifiers at a really superficial level. </p>
<p>The consensus seems to be that if you can understand perturbation theory and lagrangian mechanics, then understanding the underlying science of photovoltaics and piezoelectric devices should be a piece of cake. </p>
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<p>But the OP wants to “work” in this sector. There are undergraduate classes that incorporate projects and applied theory with these devices. An employer will want to see tangible evidence that you understand this. They look at projects,documentation, and schematics often times. Physics majors can take EE electives usually. </p>
<p>@tyjay516 No they cannot. The vast majority of schools strictly do not allow non-engineering students to take engineering courses. You’re simply not at all allowed to enroll in those classes even if there is a lot of space available and you meet all the prerequisites. </p>
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<p>At my school they could because it was an elective and not a core course like E&M or Systems and Signals. We even had a “civil” guy in our DSP class because it was an elective. </p>
<p>You might look at Applied Physics programs. Stanford has a very good one. A lot of physicists work on energy related research and they typically are more toward the materials science side. </p>
<p>As for engineering disciplines that would fit, Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical Engineering are probably involved more in the energy field than Mechanical Engineering.</p>
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<p>Well that’s not true. There isn’t a single engineering field that isn’t involved in the energy fields right now. It’s a cash cow. Mechanical engineers absolutely do work in energy-related fields, be it renewables, biofuels, nuclear or fossil (or anything else that I’m certainly forgetting).</p>