<p>What is the general academic atmosphere in the Physics/Eng. Physics Dept. at Tulane? I'm looking for a somewhat intellectual/"what are the possibilities" type of program and am wondering if Tulane has it.</p>
<p>Second, has anyone participated in the 3+2 program and actually made the transfer to Vanderbilt/Johns Hopkins?</p>
<p>Will this program for sure be around for the next few years?</p>
<p>Does the Eng. Physics program actually get to use cool gadgets/etc. (as opposed to just theoretical/equations)?</p>
<p>Lastly, is the Engineering Physics program actually a legitimate immersion into various engineering disciplines/is it "worth" doing?</p>
<p>I think this is still the best advice I can give. Strongly encourage you to set a time to talk to Dean Altiero. He is very nice, extremely receptive to these kinds of inquiries, and can give you the most authoritative information regarding the use of the program so far, and how solid it is going forward, although I see no reason it would end since both schools involved benefit.</p>
<p>I visited Tulane last Friday and I am interested in engineering primarily.
I was scared about going to Tulane because of that but the dual degree program seemed pretty cool.
After talking to the Dean of Engineering I realized that that program isn’t really what it seems like. I had the Dean tell me that no one does the program and an Engineering Physics professor tell me that there are 5 total in the program. He said many kids come wanting to do it, but most end up changing their mind.
The Dean told me that don’t come to Tulane if you’re focused on being a Mechanical or Electrical engineer, and I wanted to be a Mechanical engineer.
So, being disappointed I checked out the Engineering Physics program, and I think that’s what I’m going to be doing. It’s basically a combination of materials, electrical, and mechanical engineering. You take a lot of physics, math, and chemistry for it, lots of different engineering courses and your typical how to be an engineer courses.
For me this is perfect, because I honestly had no idea what type of engineering I want to do. I love physics and am good enough at math, but I have had very little experience in engineering.
That being said the program is still an option if you are set on going through with it.</p>
<p>I do have a question though, how viable would a dual major in Economics and Engineering Physics be? It’s hard to find the core requirements on the Tulane website, but it looks like they are pretty much the same and the core classes for Economics look to be 30 credit hours. Chances are that I will be coming in with 15 credit hours of AP credits, including Micro and Macro economics. I see plenty of people with double and triple majors and completing them in four years, and for me this would really seal the deal as I love economics.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Wait so can you do Engineering Physics and Engineering (as in you get an Engineering Phys. degree from Tulane and Engineering from Vandy/JHU) or can you only do regular Physics and Engineering?</p>
<p>I’m currently a 3+2 physics/math/prospective electrical engineering student still at Tulane. </p>
<p>The physics department is small but very welcoming. We have Physics/Engineering Physics Social Hour every Monday at 4:00pm where many of the physics professors join students to chat, eat (free food/coffee!), and sit in for the featured presentation (alternates between professor, student, prospective professors). Every Friday is also when the Society of Physics Students holds informal gatherings with free pizza, much like the Social Hour but without many of the professors. </p>
<p>Aside from the social aspects, professors are top notch yet still friendly. A quick glance at their credentials and you’ll see that they’re amazing (National Academy of Sciences fellow, Harvard/Cornell/Imperial College/Berkeley/etc Phds, international research director w/ multiple patents). One of the professors is actually the third most cited physicist in the world. I’ve never been afraid to approach them inside/outside of office hours and this includes the department chair, vice chair, and even professors I’ve never had classes with. We also opened up a do-it-yourself electronics workshop this year where you can teach yourself how to work with circuit boards and whatnot. I personally think the intimacy of the department is its best quality.</p>
<p>@milpballer12:
Tulane has a agreement with Vanderbilt/Hopkins that states the partner schools must give a notice 1 year in advance if they ever decide to pull the program. Engineering Physics is pretty much the Physics curriculum but has a few more engineering classes and a summer internship component. Also, you absolutely have to major in Physics to participate in the program. It’s really easy to take engineering courses or pick up a second too. I’ve taken engineering courses and am also picking up a math major in addition to the 3+2. Hope that helps you out a bit.</p>
<p>When you say you’re picking up a second major, does that means you’ll be achieving that degree in your 3 years at Tulane? Would this be possible to do both Engineering Physics and Physics? Thank you for your help!</p>
<p>No problem! Yeah, I’ve just been following the dual-degree program sample schedule since I got here but recently realized that I can actually graduate with a physics+math double major in 3 years if I decide to not do the engineering.</p>
<p>I am in the 3+2 program with Vanderbilt doing Mechanical Engineering. I am so happy since I have been accepted into this program. So, next year will be my last year with Tulane. The program is for Physics (not Engineering Physics) and Engineering at Vandy or JHU. When Vandy contacted me the first thing that they asked was my GPA. I told them that I have had 3.86 cumulative then I was accepted. </p>
<p>They told me that if my GPA is around 3.0 or 3.2 etc then it is kind of tough to get in. So, if anyone wants to go with this program, you have to make sure that your GPA is high.</p>