<p>I'm going to a really good engineering school next fall, and wanted some advice. I love physics, I love math I love relativity, deriving my equations, mechanics problems, surface/multivariate integration and elegant maxwell's equations. So far, I love physics.</p>
<p>The problem is, I don't know how much I like engineering. I've always been more geared toward the theoretical than the applied, and never really had a "tinkering" and "building" attitude of engineers.</p>
<p>However, I want to take advantage of the really good engineering program at my school, to obtain job safety (<em>keyword</em>). Indeed, I'm scared a major in physics will be very risky, especially with the current recession. My plans are to go to grad school, and then go to the industry or continuing academic research. That's why I decided to major in engineering, thinking it's a healthy combo of physics and math (which I like) with job marketability (which is a necessity to survive).</p>
<p>Is a major in engineering and minor in physics helpful for grad school? Will the physics minor help me have a stronger theoretical base?</p>
<p>Is it possible, with a major in engineering and a minor in physics, to do physics in grad school?</p>
<p>Is my decision reasonable? Should I sacrifice my love for physics for economic purposes?</p>
<p>No one on an internet forum can give you advice about this. I will say, however, the job outlook for physicists is not as bleak as you paint it. Highly advanced technologies are everywhere and there are all sorts of projects out there that need physicists because an engineer won't do. If physics turns your wheel then research the job market. Hint: check out SAIC corp. on the web.</p>
<p>I would say major in physics. Or major in engineering physics, like me. A minor probably won't affect your grad school application. Also, it's not too hard to go from physics undergrad to engineering grad school.</p>
<p>Physicists are in the same boat with engineers a lot of the time because they often work in the same area: R&D. So if it gets so bad that there are absolutely no physics jobs, it will affect engineers too. Then if you based your career choice on what you percieved as "saftey," not only will you be unemployed, but unhappy too.</p>
<p>If this recession has taught us anything, its that nothing is certain. Rule of thumb: Math, science and engineering students usually can find jobs, even in this tough economy. Besides, graduate school might not work out, something unexpected might come up. So base your major on what you would want to for the next 40-45 years without going to grad school. Is that engineering or physics?</p>
<p>Well, I'd like the salary of an engineer, but the work of a physicist (academic teaching/research). I know it's elusive, but I love teaching science.</p>
<p>You can always figure out a way to make money in Physics - perhaps you could become a professor and publish textbooks, or become a researcher and hold some patents. If you love your career/job, you will work harder, and if you work harder, you are more likely to succeed. </p>
<p>If money's important to you, you'll figure some (legal) way to make it...after all, if you have the intellegence to get a PhD in physics, I'm sure you could figure out how to make a few $$$'s.</p>
<p>The last company I worked had a former physics professor as CEO, a physics major as my manager, and a physics major as a engineer working with me. Majoring in physics don't mean you have to a physicist.</p>
<p>Double major in both. Hard but hardly impossible at all.</p>
<p>If you're dead set on grad school, physics is the way to go. Easy to get into engineering grad programs with a physics major but not the other way round.
Also, it seems the cleverest in most schools major in physics instead of engine (my 2 cents and I dunno what this means for you)</p>
<p>"Also, it seems the cleverest in most schools major in physics instead of engine (my 2 cents and I dunno what this means for you)"</p>
<p>Can you elaborate? I think I'm heading to Stanford next fall (I got in), and it's top 4 for ChemE, top 2 for EE, while it's probably not even top 8 for its undergrad physics program. I just don't know what to do. Engineering by itself is already pretty crazy, but engineering+physics: not sure if I'm even going to graduate with a decent GPA enough for grad school.</p>
<p>What do you mean that it's easier to switch from physics to engineering to grad school than vice-versa?</p>
<p>It's easier to go from an undergraduate physics to graduate engineering then to go from undergraduate engineering to graduate physics.</p>
<p>But I don't see why anyone would switch from engineering to physics after graduating from engineering. If you plan to switch you'd probably do it while doing an undergraduate degree. I can see why someone might get a graduate engineering degree with a physics undergrad though.</p>
<p>My husband has a doctoral minor in orchestral conducting. That's kind of like a double major at the graduate level... I'd guess it depends upon the program-- some require you to have a second concentration in a slightly differing field. I've not seen it done in engineering, though.</p>
<p>i have a friend at stanford, have you looked in to their Engineering Physics major? he is doing that and it sounds that it is what you are looking for</p>
<p>there are people who feel safer graduating with an engineering undergrad eg EE and then decide that they want to do physics in grad school.. which is harder than going from a physics undergrad to say EE in grad school</p>
<p>faraday, you're at Stanford, *** cares whether it's top 2, 4 ,8, or 16,, study what you like more. you can major in underwater basket weaving and get a job out of stanford, so study waht you like</p>
<p>"you can major in underwater basket weaving and get a job out of stanford, so study waht you like"</p>
<p>Everyone at Stanford probably likes to believe that, but I have a lot of conflicting evidence on how much an undergraduate "name" can help you in the job market. I may seem risk averse, but, may I add another question?</p>
<p>How much will a Stanford degree (engineering or physics B.S.) bolster me on the job market or grad school, compared to say, a good state like UCLA or Georgia Tech?</p>
<p>"How much will a Stanford degree (engineering or physics B.S.) bolster me on the job market or grad school, compared to say, a good state like UCLA or Georgia Tech?"</p>
<p>Okay, I am so ready for sakky to answer this.</p>
<p>School name matters less in engineering because skills are more tangible. Engineering is a meritocracy - managers will hire dogs if they can do their jobs well.</p>