<p>Im now a freshman at swarthmore college. i originally wanted to major in engineering bt i think i might like physics better now that im here. Im wondering how this will affect me as far as getting jobs/quality of life. How do physicists live compared to engineers? Also would i have to get a phd to be marketable?</p>
<p>You will have much better prospects for employment with a bachelors degree in engineering than a bachelors degree in physics. Physics is mostly theoretical ideas whereas engineering involves mostly practical solutions. Employers are more likely to pay for some tangible skill.</p>
<p>physics vs engineering: about 10K different</p>
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physics vs engineering: about 10K different
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per year,USD???</p>
<p>I don't know about that. I know new BS engineers who are making in the 50-60's on average, but I also know a recent physics graduate who cannot find a decent-paying job and is working for barely above minimum wage. I think a physics major will need an advanced degree, unless he wants to be a high school teacher. A BS engineer, otoh, can make a decent salary without any advanced degree.</p>
<p>BTW, there is a major called "Engineering Physics" that might appeal to you.</p>
<p>Former Engineering Physics major here. I got a good engineering job because I also studied computer science, and because I was female and companies (way back then, anyway) were looking for women.</p>
<p>I think more people ought to major in Physics - it offers far superior mental training than straight engineering, in my opinion. I have helped a couple of co-workers with their graduate level EE studies, for example.</p>
<p>If you major in Physics and want to go to work with a BS, be prepared to take some side courses to make yourself marketable, and be prepared to market yourself to interviewers who will wonder why on earth you took Physics when you could have taken EE/CS/etc.</p>
<p>I'd also be careful about assuming that a masters in physics would buy you much more marketability than a BS - but maybe someone can chime in with their opinion on that?</p>
<p>Look for a combined major, like engineering physics or applied physics or something, or double major. I'm double majoring in computer science and physics, which isn't so hard to pull off (electives and concentration courses for both majors were mutually satisfied by the other major's required courses, etc.). That should leave my options wide open as far as employment and grad school goes, so... just remember that it's an option.</p>
<p>If you want to actually work as a physicist, then it may be hard to find a good job with a bachelor's or even a master's degree. You might want to review the BLS</a> description of jobs in physics and astronomy. As it states: "Because most jobs are in basic research and development, a doctoral degree is the usual educational requirement for physicists and astronomers." You can probably expect to do one or more post-docs as well.</p>
<p>However, physics majors tend to be respected for their analytical skills, and can often find rewarding jobs in other fields outside physics (e.g. IT, finance, high school teaching, patent law). I'm sure the Physics Dept at your school can provide many examples.</p>
<p>A BS degree in engineering, on the other hand, is the normal entry-level qualification for engineering jobs (although the MS is becoming increasingly desirable). Engineers rarely pusue the PhD unless they specifically want academic careers. </p>
<p>It's also possible to major in physics, and then go to graduate school for an engineering MS. However, this is probably more common at other LACs (which typically don't have engineering programs) than at Swarthmore (which does).</p>
<p>What can I reasonably do with a BS in Physics? I <em>plan</em> on pursuing a graduate degree. What could I do while in graduate school? Actually, what job/internship/whatever could I do now related to Physics?</p>
<p>Any particular reason why you want to pursue a physics degree? There's still a lot of physics in engineering, except engineering emphasizes application.</p>
<p>I want a broader/more complete physics degree. I'm minoring in geophysics, too. I also want to study the higher-level physics in graduate school, i.e. quantum mechanics, relativity, etc. I mean, hopefully, I'll get that far. I know it's not going to be a walk in the park, but I'm pretty solid in math, which helps.</p>
<p>Don't go into any engineering if you're interested in quantum physics or relativity. While the engineers where I go do take some physics-like courses, it's a different ball game. Engineering courses will be less theoretic and more applied. The concepts will be simpler but the problems will be more complex and time consuming. Physics courses will be more theoretic and generally harder to understand. But once you understand the material, problems are generally straightforward and less time consuming.</p>
<p>That's the main reason why I realized I needed to switch. The engineering courses wouldn't cover QM/Relativity and probably not much of Modern Physics either, although I could be wrong about that. At any rate, I picked up this to see if my interests would be stimulated over a wide variety of Physics topics. It was. Is this a good lay/quasi-technical/qualitative physics encyclopedia?</p>
<p>Quicksilver, I like what you said about the physics courses. That seems just right up my alley. Thanks for the unwitting affirmation. </p>
<p>I have a relative who is a radiation biophysicist. Radiation biophysicists are much in demand at cancer centers - jobs are plentiful and the pay is very good with board certification. The physicist is often a behind the scenes, but very important, player on the cancer treatment team. It is very applied although many physcists also do research. Although you need a master's degree plus boards/experience to become board certified, many larger hospitals will hire a physicist with a B.S. degree and train him/her as a dosimetrist due to the shortage of dosimetrists, as well. Many dosimetrists work towards their M.S. to become board certified. There is a website for the American Association for Physicists in Medicine <a href="http://www.aapm.org%5B/url%5D">www.aapm.org</a>, I believe, for further information.</p>
<p>That sounds interesting!</p>
<p>I'd look very carefully into graduate engineering programs for their prerequisites. before making assumptions about getting into them w/a physics degree. I was told I'd have to complete a BS in EE before I could study for a masters in EE.</p>
<p>You should also look into Nuclear Engineering.</p>
<p>Many schools consider NE to be NEEP (Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics). NE is usually inside the Engineering Physics department. If you are interested in a "engineering level paying job" + studying quantum mechanics + math, this should be a good path.</p>
<p>I'm not positive about the job prospectives with pure physics degrees... But I can't imagine anything better than becoming a professor. And professor's are one of the hardest jobs to get.</p>
<p>You can be almost 100% sure to get GOOD SOLID job with a BS or MS or phD NE degree. :)</p>
<p>Just a note:
NE requires lots of quantum mechanics to get an understanding for radiation, exposure, etc.etc. (Yes, you can study quantum physics and still be an engineer)
NE requires lots of physics (EMA, ME) to design reactors, etc.etc.
NE requires LOTS of math to get numerical solutions for the physical aspects (physics + quantum)
NE requires lots of computing classes and numerical analysis classes to find solutions for things that are impossible to calculate by hand.
NE requires LOTS of other engineering fields. Especially material science, ME (fluids, thermo, heat transfer, etc.)
NE requires innovation since its still developing.</p>
<p>NE is lots of fun~</p>
<p>I don't think you really study quantum mechanics in NE... It's more nuclear physics/health physics. You really don't care about wave equations, spin, etc. You just want to know the types of particles emitted from various sources, how they are attenuated, and how they affect the body.</p>
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I'd look very carefully into graduate engineering programs for their prerequisites. before making assumptions about getting into them w/a physics degree. I was told I'd have to complete a BS in EE before I could study for a masters in EE.
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<p>I know that MIT has no such requirement; some people who earned MS degrees in EE (or EECS, formally speaking) did not have a bachelor's in EE or EECS.</p>
<p>Are the mathematics courses in a graduate physics degree very abstract or more applied?</p>
<p>^^ I don't understand, do you mean undergraduate? For graduate, it would depend a lot on your field and if you're closer to the theory or the applied side of things...</p>
<p>I started off as AE and switched to physics after 1 semester. One of the more awesome decisions I've made... I've found physics harder but easier. Harder for natural reasons but easier since I found it way more interesting. </p>
<p>I'm taking experimental and theory courses but I've done internships in engineering. Most engineering companies will not hesitate to hire a physics major.</p>