<p>Is it possible, with enough classes in upper division mathematics and physics, to go grad school for engineering with an undergraduate degree in Computer Science as my background? Is this unheard of? If anyone would like to know, I'm a second year in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin, and IF this is something I decided to pursue, I would most likely be interested in EE or ME.</p>
<p>Engineering-relevant classes I've already taken:
- Differential Equations
- Vector Calculus
- Linear Algebra
- Probability
- Engineering Physics I & II</p>
<p>It would depend a LOT on the specific specialty you wanted to pursue. There are some areas in EE and ME where you could probably roll right into the program without any additional preparation - I am thinking computational E&M or computational fluid dynamics - but most other areas you would need anywhere from a few classes to a few semesters of coursework if you wanted a real chance at admission.</p>
<p>with a BS from your school no. It would be a different story if you went to a small unknown liberal arts school and tried to apply to graduate school as an EE or ME. </p>
<p>In terms of cost and time, a second BS is almost never a good idea. You have little or no access to student aid, and most schools will not double-count courses used in your previous degree, so it takes another 4 years or so to complete. Switching to another field for a masters is tough but still common, and is a better idea in just about every way.</p>
<p>As a sophomore, it seems like your best bet would be to simply switch majors now. If for some reason that is not possible then I would see what EE or ME courses you could take now to prepare for grad school later.</p>
<p>If money wasn’t a problem and the courses DID count (because I’d probably come back to get it at UT), would it still be better to go for a masters?</p>
<p>I have no idea what the above poster is talking about. As a physics student, I can get into all the ME and EE programs that I am interested in without so much as taking a single engineering course, though a lot of the courses offered in the physics department that I’ve taken are essentially engineering courses.</p>
<p>If a physics major who only took sophomore and junior level classical mechanics and thermal physics can make it into most ME programs, I can’t see why a CS major who took those courses couldn’t. </p>
A masters is almost always better, and even if you get that second BS at UT they still might not allow you to double count courses - a lot of schools don’t allow double counting across the graduation barrier, and the situation is rare enough that they don’t usually advertise the particular rule. You should perhaps contact someone at UT to check on their specific policies. Please note that this is a different situation from double majoring, which is mostly what the published rules will cover.</p>
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Have you yet? And how much difference is there between your physics courses and the ME/EE programs in which you are interested?</p>
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The overlap between physics and engineering is about as close as you can get, CS doesn’t have nearly the degree of overlap. That having been said, I mentioned earlier that taking additional coursework would improve her chances in crossing over - I did not mean to imply that it had to be exclusively engineering coursework, physics classes will also improve her chances in a lot of areas.</p>
It depends on the college and what you want to do with the degree. Stanford graduate EE FAQ states the following about undergrad major.
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<p>This fits with my experience. CS majors had similar foundation requirements to EE majors, with both undergrad majors requiring math, physics, and basic engineering fundamentals. A good portion of upperclassmen specialty courses were cross listed between CS and EE. Some colleges go so far as to combine CS and EE into a single program, with different specialties. At Stanford, one could complete several of the EE MS depth tracks with only a CS background and no additional engineering coursework to meet prerequisites, including the depth tracks for computer software, computer hardware, network systems, and signal processing (track 3: AI). </p>
<p>i think u shud just get MS in CS. Honestly, EE is very broad with a lot of subsections, and a CS person hasn’t even taken those freshmen EE courses that are prerequisite to the sophomore level courses, then junior, & lastly senoir courses are the prerequisites to grad EE courses</p>