<p>So if you want a Phd/Masters in Math/Physics, do you pretty much have to go to school for the same thing for undergrad?</p>
<p>Like bachelors in math -> grad in math
bachelors in physics -> grad in physics</p>
<p>or could you maybe switch the two up?
or would you need to take some classes before you're admitted into a program? If so, would top colleges like MIT even let you in if you didn't major in it in u-grad?</p>
<p>What about EE or CS majors going to grad school for these?</p>
<p>It’s always possible to get into grad school for a field you didn’t do in undergrad, it might just be more difficult. There’s a lot of math going on in all of physics, so if you do applied math it shouldn’t be too bad to switch over. If you do more theoretical math, there’s still plenty of stuff in physics that’s just done with a pen and paper. Likewise, if you start with physics and do a few extra math courses, it’s possible to switch to the other side.</p>
<p>It’s generally useful to take a few classes in whatever field you’re interested in possibly switching to both to demonstrate interest to the admissions committee as well as to make sure you’re actually interested in that stuff.</p>
<p>EE/CS will not cut it for Physics since most EE/CS majors only take the lower division three semester sequence in General Physics. Physics majors also take advanced upper division courses in Classical Mechanics, Electromagnetic Theory, Optics, Quantum Mechanics, Relativity, Nuclear Physics, Mathematical Physics and Astrophysics. These courses are much more theory oriented and difficult than EE/CS courses that might touch on some of these topics.</p>
<p>To give you something concrete to hold onto, here’s a guideline for graduate admissions in pure math. To get into any semi-decent graduate program, you will need to take at least real analysis and abstract algebra as an undergraduate. (Their prerequisites are 3 semesters of calculus, one semester of linear algebra and possibly a “transitions to higher math” course.) The calculus and linear algebra prerequisites would be part of a physics or engineering major, but analysis and algebra would be extra. </p>
<p>You’d need more math courses the more selective a graduate program you are shooting for. Successful applicants to the tippy top programs usually focused their entire undergraduate career on mathematics and have acquired a solid base of graduate-level material before they even apply to graduate school. (I took 8 graduate math classes as an undergraduate and I was still underprepared for Princeton and MIT. While I was fortunate enough to be offered admission due to other factors, I was urged to decline those offers; a number of professors felt that the structure of their graduate programs would not give me enough time and resources to “fill the gaps” in my background before I have to focus on research exclusively.)</p>
<p>Don’t forget the GRE Math subject test is typically required for those programs. I haven’t taken it, but heard it’s rather difficult. Without a strong undergrad math background, I would imagine the test would be even more difficult.</p>
<p>But I’ve also heard the GRE subject test doesn’t matter that much for grad school, as long as you don’t bomb it.</p>
<p>For what it is worth, the Berkeley Math Department’s PhD program specifies undergraduate preparation that is essentially the same as that of a bachelor’s degree in math, including eight semesters of upper division math courses:</p>
<p>but only a few students are actually admitted to it, some of whom are considered promising for the PhD program but do not have as much preparation as specified for the PhD program:</p>
<p>So how would it look if somebody got a bachelors in EE at a more prestigious university, decided that they wanted to pursue mathematics, then went to a local, less prestigious school to fulfill the requirements for a Phd or Masters.</p>
<p>Would that look pretty bad for the top schools?</p>
<p>If you are still in school majoring in EE or CS, perhaps you can try to throw additional math courses in where you have free or technical/math electives. Math courses like real analysis and abstract algebra could be a good check to see if you are cut out for graduate school in math – if you take naturally to math proofs and theory, they should not be especially time consuming compared to EE or CS courses with labs or programming; if those math courses are a struggle for you, you may want to reconsider whether you really want to do graduate work in math.</p>
<p>And if you really like math proofs, you can consider switching majors to math (possibly with a double major or minor with EE or CS if that is still of interest).</p>
<p>Note that abstract algebra and number theory can be useful in some areas of CS, such as cryptography.</p>
<p>I actually think physics would be more interesting to me than math… I mean, if I’m going to learn theories, I’d rather think of physics than math. But the implications of huge breakthroughs in either of these fields seems like an amazing thing to be a part of.</p>
<p>And yeah, I know chances of being a part of a huge breakthrough aren’t that great. Whatever though.</p>
<p>Keep in mind there’s a lot of people at the research levels that do a really good job at blurring the line between math and physics. If you’re interested in more “applied” fields of math, then you might have a bit more leeway in what you did for undergrad. I’d take a look at various schools that have both an applied math and a math department and see what the difference in entrance requirements are. (For example, I can tell you Caltech has both programs.)</p>
<p>In case you are still interested in an answer to your earlier question:
You can get into good math programs that way but not the top ones. </p>
<p>Here’s a specific example. Last year, 19 out of the 21 American first-round admits to the pure and applied math PhD programs at MIT did their undergraduate math work in a top 20 math department. The two outliers were from Duke and the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign - not top 20 but still very very strong. The year before that, the least selective university that had an MIT math admit was Carnegie Mellon. </p>
<p>A not-so-selective local university probably won’t have the resources to prepare you for the top programs. You’d need access to graduate courses, research seminars, and professors whose word has some pull in the top departments. And you will have to overcome the prejudice that coursework at less selective schools is inferior to coursework at the top universities.</p>
<p>Ah, that’s kinda what I was expecting. Thanks.</p>
<p>So, lets say that I wanted to pursue a career in mathematics after I graduate. I’d hopefully be living near a top 20 math department while working a job and taking the pre-req classes. Lets say this is a few years after I received my undergrad degree. Would MIT look down on this? Or as long as you have good grades in the classes, you should be fine regardless of when you actually obtained a degree?</p>
<p>I don’t know if MIT would look down on it, but what I can tell you is that you would have a hard time distinguishing yourself as a top math student post-baccelaureate. </p>
<p>Many of the successful applicants to the top math programs have accomplishments outside of their university, most frequently high Putnam scores and publications from an REU, which would both be off-limits to you after you get a Bachelor’s degree. Furthermore, the act of taking a bunch of graduate courses stops being impressive the more time you need to take them. Proceeding through the undergraduate math curriculum fast enough that you have time to take two years’ worth of graduate math courses before you graduate from college is impressive and shows a tremendous amount of dedication; taking two years’ worth of graduate math courses after you graduate from college is commonplace at any graduate program in the country. </p>
<p>My best guess is that the top programs would take you if you could distinguish yourself as a top math student post-baccelaureate, but doing that might be really really tricky.</p>
<p>That all being said, if you could get 2-3 professors at your close-to-home top 20 math department to vouch for you, you’d probably be okay. The culture of the place and the personality of the professors you happen to run into will determine how willing professors are to invest time into a non-degree-seeking student.</p>