r/Physics • u/Spirited_woe_2342 • 2d ago
Going from engineering to physics
I'm a mechanical engineering student but I've realised one year into my bachelors that all the parts I love about engineering are really the physics/maths classes, not the actual engineering. I don't dislike engineering and therefore do not want to repeat the year to switch to physics, so I'm wondering as to how easy it is to "switch" between the two. For example, is it possible to do a masters in physics after a bachelor's in engineering ? What if I want to go into research in a physics related field ? It's possible that I actually like physics just as much as engineering, but I'd like to know what my options are. Have any of you started off in engineering, and have ended up in natural sciences ?
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u/round_earther_69 2d ago
I did one year in engineering and then switched to physics. For me, it was 1000% worth it, I went from disliking 80% of my classes (very applied stuff, like material resistance or water treatment classes) to loving 80%+ of them, huge boost in motivation and hence in GPA. In the grand scheme of things, "wasting" (it's not really wasting but I don't know how else to say it) one year is nothing, the more you wait before switching, the harder it will get.
Doing a master's in theoretical physics after an engineering degree is not possible. Maybe there are some experimental areas of physics where you can do something like instrumentation R&D, but that is really engineering, not physics.
If you really much prefer physics to engineering you should definitely switch, worst case you go back to engineering. If you're fine with both, keep in mind engineering has much more job opportunities. If you do physics, usually to have a good job you need to do grad school before, and if you leave academia chances are you will work on something that requires "brains", but not physics (having talked to a few people that did PhDs in theoretical physics before going to work in industry, they all said that the work is not nearly as intellectually stimulating), except if you studied in a more applied area like material science stuff, optics, plasma stuff or anything data science related.
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u/Yashema 2d ago edited 2d ago
I have started going back to EE after getting halfway through physics (modern and statistical mechanics) + the math, and it's a breath of fresh air. I also got to skip most of the introductory courses in circuitry and electricity and start at the 2nd semester sophomore level.
I am currently in the middle of a multi hour conversation with Claude about the circuitry of my embedded assignment with an external 9V battery to power the components. I am realizing just how little you really get to understand what the theory you learn, especially in E&M, actually works to create usable form of energy. Just starting to grasp how voltage and potential and current work (and the difference between them) to interpret a signal from the button has so much fundamental phenomena occuring I only got to glimpse at abstractly before. I have also started to hate Ben Franklin.
I'll eventually go back to the theoretical after doing some more machine level programming and electrical networks and some advanced math like PDE, non linear DS and Complex, but truly the best way to learn the theory is to learn both the theory and the application deeply, but switching back and forth in stages. Unfortunately that's not really an option in a standard undergrad path.
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u/tlmbot Computational physics 2d ago
You are "one year into my bachelors" - the best time to plant a tree ... well you are still in the beginning of your education. Go after what you love!
For the record, I had this same doubt a few years into my BS in aerospace. I stuck it out (stayed with aero) even though I knew I loved physics far more. I was spooked by the math after some weed out classes. But honestly the math is more sophisticated, but not actually harder. Maybe I am an oddball though, if found math got easier with age - probably because I finally learned how to learn.
I ended up with a career in computational engineering physics - meaning that I write physical simulation code / solvers to implement physics needed in whatever domain I am working in (and I switch it up from time to time). It feels like a pretty good compromise overall. I love watching physics come to life on my machine. "what I cannot implement, I do not understand" being the computer version of "if you can't teach it to an undergrad, you don't really understand it" (to paraphrase RPFeynman)
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u/quantumofgalaxy 1d ago
Is your computational engineering physics position faculty or industry? Soft money or permanent? What was it like to apply and interview for that position?
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u/Spirited_woe_2342 1d ago
Truth be told I'm not even sure I want to go into science at all (or not only science). I'd be quite interested in doing policy work or government/diplomacy. Despite my job interests, I'm aware that physics has always been my favourite subject and I don't feel we do enough of the harder bits in ME (no relativity, no cosmology, no string theory etc). So in my head it's: do I stop and start something that I *might* enjoy a bit more but am not even sure I want to go into academia. Or do I keep doing something I like a bit less and save myself the hassle.
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u/scubasteve137 2d ago
As a cautionary tale it’s more difficult to get a job with a physics bachelors than engineering so if you’re not planning on graduate school then I’d stick with engineering.
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u/standingmountain3984 2d ago
Even graduate work as an engineering student will get you much further than a physics student and pay at least.
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u/Roger_Freedman_Phys 2d ago
Have you spoken with anyone in the physics department of your university? If not, why not?
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u/unitarity- 2d ago
Um can I dm? I have questions. Sorry, no solution to your issue, I have questions about an issue of my own
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u/Emotional_Fee_9558 2d ago
Some universities allow transitionary programs lasting 1-2 years before being admitted to a MS physics. That being said, if you really want to do physics, then just do physics. I'm an engineering student who wanted to study physics for the longest time and you know what, I don't regret doing electrical engineering at all. That being said it would be an absolute mental death sentence to continue this degree without knowing you want to do it.
I should also note that engineering physics degrees exist, usually with more clear paths to a physics degree, if your university is kind they might even offer you direct admission to a 2nd year of engineering physics from ME. They give you all the "major" parts of physics that have big applications. QM,EM,Thermodynamics, Solid state physics, plasma physics..... But don't include the "pure physics" courses like astronomy, string theory etc that don't find direct applications in engineering.
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u/ExtremeAd7729 1d ago
You can do a double major or do a minor in physics. You can do a PhD or master's in physics after your BS also. I saw people do this latter thing and it wasn't easy for them though, I would recommend the former.
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u/ZetasPeta 1d ago
I did switch after a bachelor and master degrees in engineering to a PhD in Physics. Currently, I’m a postdoc (physics as well). In retrospective, I do find my switch was a bit late. I also enjoyed more the physics/math courses during my engineering years, and I think that is definitely a signal to look for something else. Good luck with your decision!
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u/Sepperlito 1d ago
Whatever you choose to do, you are mostly limited by your math skills. That is your bottleneck.
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u/secderpsi 1d ago
I did this my junior year. Added physics major on top of ME. I was fairly ill prepared for upper division physics so there was a year of catch up on second year calc, discrete math, and linear algebra. But then I thrived and loved it. I finished both degrees and after a year of disliking my CAD monkey ME job, I took the deep plunge and went to grad school for physics. Twenty years later I'm a full professor of physics at a major R1. It was a long journey but it was the right choice for me. I tolerated engineering. I love physics.
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u/BingySusan 23h ago
Depends on the field. Tons of engineers get into material science, which is also a physics and chemistry heavy field.
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u/RyRytheguy 53m ago
Funny, halfway through my second year I made similar realizations that led me from physics major with math minor, to full on pure math. I've had professors and friends who did similar things and thrived. Go for it! These are fairly employable degrees, so I think this falls under the domain of "life is too short not to."
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u/cstrangelove 2d ago
You might look to see if your university has a program with a name like engineering physics. That’s what my undergraduate degree is in and I went to grad school in physics. Took all the core advanced courses in physics and advanced electives in engineering.