<p>This, again, is a dilemma for me. I have a 1983 Schuam's Outline Series: Theory and Problems of Physics for Engineering and Science</p>
<p>I rummage through the chapters often, and, of course, I find the Physics, as well as, naturally, the incorporated Mathematics quite interesting. I guess I feel like if I go with Civil Engineering I'll be cutting out a lot of Mathematics and Physics that would otherwise be very interesting to me. I do also have a natural propensity for knowing how everything works, literally. How do I decide if an Engineering degree or the pursuit of Physics degrees, be it Geo, or whatever, is for me?</p>
<p>There are going to be a few courses that'll be fairly cut-and-dry, to-the-code sorts of courses where you learn the design code and the basic ideas behind how to design various things, but there's a TON of pure science in there, too, especially in grad school. Tons of math, tons of physics. I wasn't particularly expecting it, so all the theory was a slight surprise to me, but I handled it just fine. I was expecting a more practical education, with a lot fewer proofs and theory and equations and tensor calculus and laboratory testing and computer simulations... Which is what I think you're worried about cutting out... And I found I was wrong about what I'd expected.</p>
<p>I think if you're concerned about leaving behind the theoretical and scientific portions of a science/engineering education if you were to go for civil eng, you needn't be. There's plenty in there still.</p>
<p>I figured I wouldn't be cutting out too much, but I feel like I want to learn everything Physics related - gravitation, nuclear, etc. I also feel motivated (don't laugh too hard) to pursue Physics when I'm watching Stargate. Haha. When I was younger, I used to be really interested in Theoretical Physics, and related topics, such as Black Holes, Superstrings, etc.</p>
<p>It really depends on what you want to do. Sure you will do some "theory" in any engineering but it will not be the same as the superstring/blackhole/relativity stuff that you would do as a physics major. Even if you do decide on CivE you can still take some physics electives, but if your true passions are theoretical physics, then you will probably be short changing your true passion. </p>
<p>In my opinion if you are leaning more towards the theoretical side, major in physics in minor in CivE or some type of engineering. If you are leaning towards the more practical side of things do the reverse. Either way you'll get a little bit of both worlds</p>
<p>Only real problem is that minoring in engineering is more or less useless, from a practical standpoint... In order to practice civil engineering, you really have to have gotten a bachelors degree in it.</p>
<p>Unless you want to, like, build bridges on the weekends, in your spare time, as a hobby, or something...</p>
<p>Theoretical physics and Civil are pretty far apart once you get away from early, basic classes. I'd advise making sure that you take the basic courses for both at first (physics and all the math), but eventually deciding on one or the other. You can minor in physics but I agree it is hard to minor in an engineering discipline. There are a lot of requirements that build on each other in engineering and make your schedule pretty rigid.</p>
<p>If you decide you for sure want both, double major. But be aware that will be very hard and may well take you a little longer. A lot of high level courses will have almost nothing to do with each other.</p>
<p>Chances are you will find that one or the other isn't for you. I found that while I found all the theoretical physics stuff interesting, I didn't want to study it in-depth.</p>
<p>That's a good point. I am going to take all of the required Physics and Mathematics courses (up to Diff EQ) before I transfer to a University. I honestly think that I would like to be on the leading edge, or whatever, of Physics, Theoretical Physics, etc. As far as I know, Physics will require a little bit more beyond Diff EQ, such as Linear Algebra, Vector Analysis, etc. and will be, of course, more difficult and require some programming. That's the only turnoff for me - computer science/programming. While I like using computers, I have no interest in programming, blah blah blah.</p>
<p>I'm with u shackleford. I love physics but didn't major in it. I've got the next best thing to it though...ChemE...Lots of physics and math here.</p>
<p>I guess Physics and Civ are related in respect to Astronomy. Geometics specialization in CivE can give you some insight into the basics of observing the earth and then the stars and other planets. </p>
<p>But, If you like physics, you need to go as far as possible in math and that does include computers - you can't get away from them. Believe me, I've tried. Reality of math and science always seems to get in the way though. It seems glamorous but only until you enter the workforce...Keep learning Good luck</p>
<p>i should point out that most people who major in physics don't study superstring theory or general relativity or black holes while in undergrad. at cal a physics major means QM, classical mechanics, EM, thermo, lab, and an elective--you'd only learn about GR if you took that as your elective. i would think physics majors at other schools would be similar.</p>
<p>re: programming, i was surprised by how much everyone seems to want programmers when i was looking for a summer job. it seemed like if you can program in c/c++, you won't starve.</p>
<p>in any case, i bet it takes at least a couple years of grad school before you get good enough to build a portal into another dimension, so you might as well get some programming work in (:</p>
<p>hey shackleford, i'm currently a physics major.</p>
<p>i think physics is a really versatile degree and you have the freedom to pursue any career path you want with it...law, medicine, engineering, etc. there is a lot of interesting stuff you'll learn about modern physics as a physics major...relativity, gravitation, astrophysics, plasma physics, and electronics included. i'm taking the fourth physics course in the sequence and we're currently covering an intro to quantum mechanics, solid state physics, and atomic physics.</p>
<p>it's common for physics majors to continue graduate study in physics, engineering, or medicine/law...the degree isn't going to limit you. if you really like engineering, maybe applied physics / engineering physics is another option.</p>
<p>As mentioned previously, if you decide to become a civil engineer, you really need an ABET accredited bachelor's degree or else you will find it very difficult to get a job with a civil engineering firm. It all depends on what you want to do after school. </p>
<p>And why not consider engineering bachelor's degree and go to grad school for physics? It's more difficult the other way around.</p>
<p>my suggestion:
declare engineering (whichever you wish) take the required courses (one of which will be a physics course, if you placed out of the freshman physics course take the next one in the physics sequence) give yourself a year in both programs to decide which you want to do for the next 4 years. If you decide to go to engineering school after your physics degree it won't be too much of a jump and you can probably do it fairly easily, you won't be much worse prepared than anyone else.</p>
<p>Yeah, that's how I look at a physics degree, something that gives you a lot of versatility in a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines, which is the main reason why I'm seriously considering. Engineering degrees are more specific studies into physics depending on the program.</p>
<p>ken, I would think it would be the other way around, as a physics graduate program would have much to do with Quantum Mechanics, Electrodynamics, and so forth, which a Civil Engineering undergrad barely covers. I understand they both cover statics, dynamics, fluid dynamics, and so forth, as the case with any engineering program, but I assume a physics degree is a much, much better presage to a graduate physics program. Also, from what I understand, physics would be more difficult.</p>
<p>That's correct, but perhaps you're misunderstanding what I'm saying when I said "difficult." Majoring in physics probably is harder, but I wonder if you can just get a graduate degree in engineering after a bachelor's in physics. You might end up having 2 bachelor's degree that can take 6 or more years to do (that's assuming 4 for physics, 2 for specialized civE courses). Then again, it might take less time if you can take some of the specialized civE classes as electives in your physics curriculum. Of course, I'm assuming that an engineering bachelors degree satisfies the requirements for a physics grad degree, which I'm not sure about.</p>
<p>I'm confused as to what stage you're at right now. HS senior? college freshman? soph?</p>
<p>Heh. Sorry. I see what you're saying now. The physics undergrad would require additional CivE courses. My bad. I'm barely a college sophomore. I really only have like 6-7 more courses before I can transfer to a university.</p>
<p>
[quote]
As mentioned previously, if you decide to become a civil engineer, you really need an ABET accredited bachelor's degree or else you will find it very difficult to get a job with a civil engineering firm.
[/quote]
The most common pathway to a civil engineering career is through an ABET BS degree. But there is an alternative: you could get a BS in physics, then get an MS in civil engineering. You might have to "make up" some undergraduate-level classes in graduate school, so it might take longer to get the advanced degree, but it's feasible.</p>
<p>However, one possible drawback to this approach is that it could affect your ability to qualify for a PE license, which you would need to advance your career in civil engineering. Most states will accept an MS degree in engineering as a qualifying professional degree, but some states strictly require an ABET BS degree. If you are interested in pursuing a civil engineering career with an MS, rather than an ABET BS, you should check your state laws to determine if you can qualify for a PE license by this route.</p>
<p>Doing physics undergrad and civil engr grad will also limit your internship opportunities during your junior and senior years. Personally, I think it's a very valuable experience and is helpful when you're looking for a full-time position. Of course, all this only applies if you wish to pursue a civil engineering career after school.</p>