Which one is easier: Physics or Engineering Physics.
I thought you loved physics???
I’m pretty sure if its related to physics you’ll have no problem
Have you researched electrical engineering? A double in physics and EE is not out of the ordinary. The 2 have a lot of overlap.
I do love physics, but mechanical engineering would be harder, so I need to focus on that more, and spend less time on the other major.
Doubling in EE and physics, will that have more job opportunities than physics and Mech. Engineering, and what’s the minimum pay?
Engineering is a pretty thick courseload, some engineers take 5 years to just get 1 degree and meet their requirements and engineering GPA is infamously harsh. I’d hate to see the schedule of someone who does Engineering and another STEM double major.
Where did you get Physicists make bad pay? BLS says it’s around ~100k, which is more than what BLS reports for almost every type of engineer.
Engineering Physics is more or less a major in physics plus a broad and large minor in engineering. Good paying jobs are available with a degree in physics or engineering physics. You should look at the specific program you are interested in but the engineering physics degree might allow a concentration in a specific engineering discipline as well.
It sounds to me that while you like physics, you don’t see yourself in a career as a physicist and so you would be best off taking an Engineering degree plus as many physics electives as you can fit in up to a full second degree in physics if you choose to do so.
@Aruvikkara
I understand that engineering is really hard, but I am up for the challenge.
Though Physicists might get good pay, what I meant to say was that they have limited job opportunities.
@xraymancs
If I major in Mechanical Engineering and use up all my electives are Physics classes, how will this benefit my physics major if I choose to take one. Please help me as I am new to the process.
I am suggesting that getting a second major in physics will not be particularly worthwhile if you plan to pursue an engineering career. Therefore, a minor or just taking the courses that interest you might be sufficient.
@saluation
It sounds like you are not very grounded in what different fields actually do for their jobs. You probably should spend time researching careers and understanding exactly what the different job opportunities are instead of randomly picking one bc of the pay.
Do you want to work in a plant or in a lab? Do you want to work on designing systems or overseeing processes or programming? (All very different types of jobs.)
I did not read these links, but maybe they might start you down the path of evaluating the types of careers possible:
http://www.futuresinengineering.com/what.php?id=2
https://en.m.wikibooks.org/wiki/High_School_Engineering/What_Makes_an_Engineer%3F
Fwiw, sometimes double and triple majors make sense. Sometimes they don’t. I think that is the point @xraymancs is trying to make. Just adding physics as a double major doesn’t necessarily benefit you in any way. A solid understanding of physics is essential in most fields of engineering, but engineering as a career is most likely going to look vastly different than a career as a physicist. My ds is a physics major and has had to spend quite a bit of time learning different computer languages in order to write programs for different research projects he is part of. But, it doesn’t mean he wants to add CS as another major. Programming is a tool to help him achieve his goals, but he doesn’t need a degree in it. He just needs to be proficient at using the various programming languages.
@xraymancs and @Mom2aphysicsgeek
I understand what you are saying. I like working in both labs and plants. What do you suggest I do? Which major(s) and/or which minor? I am still a bit confused.
I love physics and mechanical and electrical engineering. What do I pick from here? Where do I go?
(I am also looking for a high paid job and one with a lot of openings.)
Why not do a triple major?
I would recommend you do Engineering Physics if you make no progress towards deciding what you want to do. You can then take your Physics degree and get an Master’s degree in Engineering or a doctorate in Physics. It keeps both doors open.
Would that offer more job opportunities and high pay? Would the courses overlap? How many hours/credits extra do i need?
@BurgerMan1
It wouldn’t open a lot of job opportunities during my undergrad years. I will need to pay off my school loans.
I’m confused about this threat. Do you want to major in engineer, and a job straight out of college to pay for your loans?
Of course, you can pretty much only have one job at a time, so the number of offers is not as important as having at least one good one.
@NASA2014
I want a good major or even a double major that will help me find a lot of job opportunities with high pay.
@Ynotgo
If there are more jobs it is likely that I will get a job, rather than having few jobs that are really selective of whom they hire.
@Salutation - to me it sounds like you want to make sure you are employable after your B.S. degree. Frankly, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering will give you the most direct route to employment with just the B.S. That is not to say that a physics major can’t get a job. On the contrary, a physics major can work as an engineer, a programmer and a financial analyst as well as a lab technician. Basically, by taking one of these three majors (I am including Engineering Physics or Applied Physics under Physics), you will find a well paid job after college.
This still does not solve the question of which major to choose. You have not mentioned if you are already in college or if you are planning to apply for Fall 2016. If you have not yet started college, you should apply as an engineering major (either one will do) and take your first year of classes which are pretty much the same for all three majors. After the first year, you will be better positioned to choose a major and it is very easy to move from engineering to physics should you decide to do so. It is a bit harder to go the other way if you are at a school which has impacted engineering majors and restricts internal transfers. In fact, you can probably switch as late as second semester Sophomore year.
So, don’t sweat it too much, find the right university for you and give yourself time to mature your decision knowing that you can get good jobs with any of the majors.
@xraymancs
Thank you so much for the relieving comment.
I will go to college in fall of 2016.
I am just really tensed of getting a good paying job after undergrad.
Do LMU undergrads easily get a job after their bs?