Hello fellows,
I am planning to continue into graduate school upon graduation, so continuing my degree (physics) into a graduate school degree is what I want to do. I go to UT at Dallas, and my school offers a fast track Master’s program for students who plan to continue into graduate school which allows them to replace senior level undergrad courses with graduate course equivalents that will satisfy both the undergrad hours, and the Master’s degree hours.
My question/request is for any advice regarding what the degree of difficulty difference there is between undergrad and graduate courses in subjects like Quantum Mechanics, Elementary Particle Physics, Plasma Physics, Cosmology, Theoretical Physics, and Astrophysics. Please, any advice would be greatly appreciated and valued regarding the differences between the undergrad and graduate versions of these classes.
-Thank you-
For quantum mechanics in particular, a solid undergraduate sequence is usually a full year covering the Griffiths book entirely. In a graduate quantum course, the same material is covered in a single semester and the second semester is much more in depth material. In our experience, students who have a rigorous undergraduate sequence can move directly to the second semester of graduate quantum mechanics. So, doing this accelerated MS will not compromise the material you cover too much. It gives you a first shot at graduate level material which you might have to take again in a Ph.D. program.
All that being said, if the accelerated MS costs you an extra year in your undergraduate program, it is not necessarily the best course of action. It might be more valuable for your Ph.D. applications for you to not have an M.S. and instead have more research experience and one less year at your undergraduate institution.
Thank you for your response!
No the M.S. fast track simply allows me to replace classes in my undergrad curriculum such as PHYS4301-Quantum Mechanics 1, with courses in the graduate catalog. The equivalent replacement would be PHYS6301-Quantum Mechanics 1, which is the graduate course equivalent. This fast track does not require extra classes, merely substituting equivalent classes of a graduate standard so that I may receive credit for the undergraduate degree, and begin my course requirements for the master’s degree. So no extra years will be added to my bachelor’s.
Then there is not downside except for the fact that taking an undergraduate full year quantum mechanics sequence might be better than jumping into the graduate courses right away. it depends on the student.