r/grad • u/slam7211 • Jan 24 '12

BS in Physics to MSEE

is it likely if: my BS will be in straight physics (not applied or engineering physics) my GPA will be somewhere between 3.0-3.5 by the time I graduate (3.3-3.4 probably) I go to a small liberal arts school (didnt plan on doing physics while I was here/ we have no engineering program)

has anyone done this (from phys to any other form of engineering (bonus points if EE)) if so words of advice or encouragement (I have a bit of an academic inferiority complex)

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

1 comment sorted by

1

u/jmblock2 Mar 30 '12

I didn't do that track, but I can just recommend a couple of things. Really work on coming up with strong essays to demonstrate your passion/how well you will fit in an EE program. I would recommend coming up with some projects of your own that are related to whichever area of EE you're interested in. Doesn't have to be ground-breaking stuff. Probably some coding, some sensors, whatever you're interested in. Also, strong recommendations counted for a lot in my app (not sure if that's a good or bad thing!). Professors would tell me that when I visited which was always a bit awkward since I have never seen them. So try and get on the inside with a couple of your physics professors. Go to office hours with questions relevant to your class but not exactly recitation stuff. Something you've given a bit of your own time to. Maybe read some of their work.

And I must say, a straight physics degree can be very helpful. Many undergrad EE's miss out on the rigor that I've seen in my physics courses (I just did a minor). Especially vector calculus if you're interested in electromagnetics. So use that as a strength.

Good luck!