i am a junior in hs and looking to apply to stevens. im thinking about the engineering physics or physics program, but is it good at stevens? I’ve heard great things about engineering and qf, but not much about science. is job placement as good as it is for graduating engineers? wince im not really sure whether i want to go into physics or engineering, is it too crazy to double major physics and something like mechanical engineering? any other information on science and engineering physics would be great. thank you in advance.
The Engineering Physics program at Stevens has an excellent placement record. It is a hybrid of the traditional theoretical physics curriculum with the engineering science and design courses. The EP program has engineering design courses in each semester, unlike traditional pure science physics programs and is of more an applied nature. The Physics program is a traditional science-based physics program, but also includes several applied courses, which is unusual in pure science physics programs. Physics in general however is a field in which one really needs an advanced degree if he/she desires a career in physics research whether in government or industry. Many of the Stevens physics graduates, as those of many schools, go directly to graduate school. The major industrial research labs such as Bell Labs (now Nokia), IBM, Microsoft, etc., as well as government research labs and federal agencies hire both EP and Physics graduates. Some may hire at the BS level (as did Bell Labs for example when I worked there) and send you to graduate school part time while being employed full time. Major research positions in physics however will require the advanced degree.
You can double major in physics and an engineering major (at Stevens the most common engineering double majors with physics is electrical engineering). The EP program itself has concentrations in atomic/molecular physics, micro and nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, and optics. The double major, as you might have imagined, is a great deal of work and courseload, above the already high courseload that is the norm at Stevens.
The Physics department is doing some great research in quantum electronics, quantum computing and communications, and quantum cryptography (in conjunction with the EE and CS departments).
You can read the outcomes of Stevens physics graduates (and all majors) in the most recent outcomes report:
I would encourage you to reach out to the physics department and admissions office, who can answer your questions in detail. Also, do visit the campus and talk to some of the faculty and students.
Hope this helps, please post any additional questions you may have and best to you in your academic endeavors!
Michael, PhD, EE and Engineering Physics
Thank you for the reply, this was very helpful. My plan is to major in Physics or EP, a good chance at Stevens. Career wise, i would like to go into aerospace engineering and/ or some kind of high tech r&d. Eventually I can see myself starting a company relevant to my education. Is Stevens a good place for me to go? I have visited the campus and loved it. I am trying to contact Physics professors to try and shadow one in order to get a better and more in depth feel of the department. Compared to engineering, it seems physics graduates have limited opportunities after graduating, especially since going to graduate school is the best option, which I will likely do. With a physics or EP degree, what options do I have? what majors could I pursue in graduate school or what type of jobs could i get with the degree? is double majoring too tough? i have already heard an engineering major is tough, so adding a physics workload would likely be extremely difficult in my third and fourth years. Im not sure if i see myself doing research, especially theoretical work as career-wise, it is not very rewarding unless I have a breakout discovery. the more information the better, so please give me everything you have haha. thank you in advance.