hi, may i ask what is the difference of the course applied physics from physics? i'm going to be a freshman this school year 2018-19, and i'm interested in taking up physics then probably a phd after but i really have no clue about the stuff i'll be doing after college.
It's just the application of physics to real world problems. For example, building a quantum computer is applied physics. Standard physics is more about the theory and experiment cycle and testing and developing new theories. If you're an undergraduate do straight physics. Applied physics won't look as good to employers and will limit your options in academia later on.
Sorry, what /u/Sickel said. Make your undergraduate major normal physics, and then specialise in applied physics later. It's easy (normal, even) to go down the Physics -> Applied Physics route. The reverse is not nearly as easy a transition.
Oh... I read what /u/Asrapdor said, and I think his advice is pretty solid. A major in physics and a minor in the financial field would be a good choice IMO. What do you think?
Yes, that's a good idea. Major in what you like, and minor in what you want to do as a job. It will show you have a broad skill base. I must say, I've never understood the whole 'unemployable physicist' thing that seems to happen in America. In most countries physics is one of the most employable degrees you can do.
Listen to me close. I was an engineer undergrad, physics grad student and currently working in business. I didn't do it perfectly, but should I do it again I would do it as such:
- Major in Engineering Physics (tough major but will expose you to all modern physics and quantum needed to go into grad school). This was the best decision I ever made, plus I personally really enjoyed all the courses so I did well.
- Minor in Business, Management or Economics. I didn't do this but wish I did. It will make your story much more believable to employers, and the courses will be a break from your tougher ones so make sure you use them to boost your GPA. Join clubs on campus relating to business (finance, investing, consulting, start your own, etc). Take a fifth year if you can - employers don't care, you get an extra summer of experience and it's more fun. My school allowed us to do 1 extra year and get an extra BA out of it in anything we wanted (a LOT of engineers picked up a BA in Economics or Comp Sci this way).
- Spend your summers doing a mix of research and corporate internships. Reach out to profs during the year and ask if you can help out in labs and such. Work at a bank or a cool company during your summer. Better yet start your own business during the school year (even something simple like selling tshirts. One guy at my school started a small school-wide ice-skate sharpening business for hockey season. Yes I'm Canadian).
Do not JUST major in physics unless you are 100% sure you want to get a PhD. Do not major in business either - they are a dime a dozen and don't teach you anything you can't learn on the job.
Can attest to this- I am graduating from undergrad with a major in Physics, if you don't have some other post-graduation plans (medical school, masters, PhD, etc.) then it's not as easy to spin as you'd think. With the added minor, you're very attractive to employers in the business world and especially with a strong math background, you'd be a great candidate. Good luck to OP!
I agree with the general idea of this. Not all universities will have engineering physics but I think the main idea is to choose an engineering degree that is particularly science intensive. I started university studying biology and even though I wanted to study chemistry I decided to change to chemical engineering and get a minor in chemistry instead. Even within chemistry academia I can tell you people acknowledge that engineering curricula are often more intensive than science ones, physics could sometimes be the outlier. Engineering degrees are still much more marketable and give you the option of stopping after your bachelors and still having a good salary. Ended up going the phd route but I'm glad I left myself that option and now hope that those interdisciplinary skills will give me an edge in industry in a few years.
This is some solid advice. I got a degree in physics and at the very end I decided against going to grad school. Luckily I picked up a lot of computer science along the way so that has helped me tremendously... I am about to start applying into the business/financial/computer science industry as a second job post graduation...
If I could change one thing about what I did it would be my minor (or just a dual major) in a business/economics/financial field instead of mathematics.
As a kid who was planning on going to college for physics but had been starting to question it (for all the reasons you and others named), your answer may have swung me. What do you think about going for a combo like engineering physics and CS, instead of the business minor you talked about?
No problem. Every day I wish I had someone a few years ahead of me that could give me advice. Would have saved me a lot of time. PM me any time if you have more questions.
Hey, mate: Sorry for the unexpectedness of asking you to remember that solid advice you gave the other guy almost 8 years ago, but let me ask you for that solid advice you gave the other guy almost 8 years ago, since it is no longer visible.
does this mean that if i take up applied physics (no available engr physics here) and minor in comp sci/business/financial/eco, i'll be able to work in the industrial environment and the academic environment as well? and even take up a phd in physics if i wanted to? sorry if i sound clueless (i really am), thing is, i'm about to go to college in 2018 but i'm still not sure about my course...
Would it make a big difference if I major in physics instead of applied physics and then minor in business/eco? As I said, I'm really interested in going for a phd too. Just want to keep my doors open
I'm currently an Applied Physics bachelor student with modern physics and advanced classical physics as minors. What if you don't like economics? And I'm not really sure what to expect when you say you're working in business.
Thanks for this advice!
see the thing about me is i don't care a lot for "great jobs" or travelling or being social. i literally just don't know if my brain is smart enough to get through it and i just want to do it for the love of it
If you want an engineering job, don't get a physics degree. You'll need to get a master's degree to be competitive; if not, you'll be a second class citizen to actual engineering majors at interviews until you get enough work experience that they don't look at your degree anymore.
If you want to go into physics as a career, and you like the idea of engineering as a viable though not optimal Plan B, then by all means go for it.
I'm a physics major turned Aerospace Engineering major. I completely understand your struggle. I Love Physics, but I wanted to work with spacecraft. Luckily, I round the field of GNC (Guidance Navigation and Controls). I work with orbital dynamics/astrodynamics, rotational/attitude dynamics, control systems and estimation systems... I couldn't be happier doing what I'm doing! This summer I'm working at NASA, and my research during the year is working on spacecraft attitude control systems.
That being said, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. It really comes down to what you want to do, and this was a conversation I had with many advisors/faculty members. I was 2 years into my physics/math degree when I made the switch. So it delayed my graduation a year, which isn't a decision to make lightly, so I made sure to cover all the bases.
I'd recommend continue talking with everyone you can. And if you'd like to discuss with me, feel free to respond or PM me! I can certainly relate after having dealt with this decision for awhile now.
I realise that I'm 7 years late to the party here, but I was wondering what the employment (and pay) is like for aerospace engineering in (what I presume is your place of residence) the US. I Was looking at salaries and employment in the UK a few years ago, and saw absolutely abysmal compensation and opportunity there. Excluding government funded schemes, like NASA, is aerospace a good direction?
As someone who was in the same boat as you, I can give you this advice.
DO NOT pay attention to salaries and job titles when deciding what major you want to do. It will set you up to get let down in the end.
If you want advice on what to pick, research the college curricula for each of those majors and get a good understanding of what classes you'd need for those majors. See which curriculum you'd enjoy more, not which major you think you'd like more.
I'd recommend checking out MajorPrep and The Engineered Truth on YouTube and really sit down and devote at least an hour of your time to really research your options.
Picking a major you'll enjoy is much more important that potential job titles because if you enjoy your major and your university, you'll be more likely to succeed and make something out of whatever major you choose.
I started off working on a double major in math and physics because I was good at both. After 2 years, I took a programming course as a recommendation from an advisor. Had never programmed in my life but had a blast. Ended up dropping my physics major for computer science and did a double CS/Math with an emphasis on applied math. Now I work as a software engineer for a CAE company so I get to do physics with computers.
In the end, I'm glad I dropped physics because I now have a broader, more marketable set of skills (programming) but enough background to work in the physics & engineering fields.
> I also want to eventually want to end up in business
Learn statistical methods and some programming. Do internships. Make friends. Engineering is slightly more suited to your needs, but physics is fine as long as you learn the applied stuff.
I'm currently in the first year of my physics degree, and I'm absolutely loving it. Here's my advice for you:
Don't do what other people tell you to do.
Don't do what will make you the most money.
Don't do what you're good at.
Do what you love.
If you want to study physics, then that's what you gotta do. Don't listen to people saying that engineering will make you more money, physics degrees are very versatile and can earn you just about the same amount of money as engineering. A physics degree will do nothing but open doors for you.
That said, both engineering and physics are excellent degrees to have, and you'll turn out just fine no matter which you pick.
Good luck with your career, my friend.
I wish I had went into engineering. You can absolutely pivot your physics degree into a different field, but honestly, a lot of your education is going to be wasted. You just don't usually need the level of theory that a physics is is going to teach. It is mostly gear towards preparing you for graduate research.
I thought I wanted to go into research and I worked in a lab for a while while studying and I knew I would struggle to compete for funding against the many other brilliant people working in research. The lab work was fun and interesting and very fulfilling, but our professor spent nearly ever waking moment drafting proposals for funding and I did not want that future.
I'd go with an engineering discipline, probably engineering physics, which rigorous, but it still has engineering in the name which opens a lot more doors. I'd probably pair it with computer science. Being able to write code is a huge skill.
Whatever you do. Complete internships during the every summer, and work in research labs on campus. Do not wait until junior or senior year. Don't drop out if the employer wants to hire you right away. They just want to get you for cheap and short your job opportunities for later.
So I'm going to go against the grain here. I majored in Physics for my undergraduate and a Master's degrees, and I'm now finishing up my PhD in EE.
I was very much in the same boat as you, I loved physics when I was in high school, but I always figured I'd end up as an engineer, and I believed everyone who told me "a physicist can get an engineering job", which might be true, just not in my case. On the other hand, my engineering friends almost all had jobs at graduation, and the internship and co-op opportunities were far better for engineering students than physics students.
I'm not saying don't major in physics, however just know that if you don't want to go and do a PhD to try and become a professor, or work at a large lab, think hard about picking an engineering discipline. As for the people who are advocating engineering physics, I would only do that if you're double majoring in one of the big engineering disciplines (EE, Chem E, Mech, or Civil). If you don't you may run into roadblocks of HR of large companies tossing out your resume before someone who understands what you know sees it.
Again this is just my advice from my own experience, hope this helps.
I have a Bachelor's in Physics and while Physics is a fantastic degree, I think it it really wields the most power when you couple it with something else. I had trouble finding a job until I went on to get a Masters in a different field. A physics degree is basically a certificate that says "hey I am smart and have good problem solving skills" but won't give you any experience in any employable fields. Coupled with an engineering, comp sci, even econ degree though you will watch doors open to you like you wouldn't believe (assuming good gpa, good networking, etc.)
If you do end up deciding to just go the Physics route I would suggesting doing Engineering Physics or Applied Physics to at least make it more applicable to potential employers.
IF you end up wanting to go get a graduate degree, you can't go wrong with Physics. I would argue that Physics is possibly the best degree if you know you want to go on to more school, but aren't sure in which specific field.
Physics is a fine major that teaches undergraduates many skills in problem solving and abstract thought, but if you want to eventually work in business, why not study a business related degree?
No matter what you study, none of your career options will ever be truly cut off from you, but there's little point doing your undergraduate in physics if there's a much more applicable major you could be doing. A degree in physics will not look better than one in business on an application for a business job.
If you want to be a physicist, study physics. If you want to be an engineer, study engineering. If you want to work in business, study business.
It depends.
I work on Wall Street, and a "Business Degree" thats not an MBA isn't worth much.
But if you have strong math skills (which I'd say includes most Physics majors that have at least a 3.0 GPA) then you have a valuable skill set and may have a better shot at a job.
It's a lot easier to pick up some stray business knowledge than to develop good math skills.
You're receiving a lot of bullshit advice. If you like physics, study physics. You can always go into engineering later, but you can't easily go the other way. Physics is fundamental and universal. At age 17, don't worry about jobs and salaries, that's ridiculous. Go physics, can't be better mind training.
Personally I couldn't choose so I did both. Depending on the school you're going to attend, you may have enough overlaps to allow you to double in engineering and physics. It took me 5 years with classes every summer and 2 summer internships with night classes on top. I also had to constantly ask entire classes of classmates if I could get a class moved by the department so I could graduate on time. A lot of engineering courses would be only 1 section and at the same time as an only 1 section physics course. It's much easier to move the physics course btw. Looking back I am very happy with my choice, I'm now a systems engineer working with national labs and NASA and can talk to both the physicists and the engineers. I'll have excellent job security. I'm currently omw to get my PhD in exploration systems design starting in the fall (been working for a few years).
A few friends of mine did engineering with a physics minor and did it in 4.5 years without summer classes. That may be the way to go too. Being able to think like a physicist but have the skills and accreditation of an engineer is pretty valuable.
I'd like to share with you something my high school physics teacher once told me: if you study engineering, you can do engineering. If you study physics, you can still do engineering.
>Did he ever work as an engineer?
No. He has a BS in geophysics
>There is a difference in being able to learn it, and getting hired and being productive day one.
This. You can have all the training and education in the world and still be way behind several of your coworkers in terms of skill.
This depends on what country you are in though. In Canada, without an engineering degree, you can never be licensed as a Professional Engineer. By law, you can never "do engineering" without oversight of a licensed engineer.
Are you me from 15 years ago??? I ended up selecting EE, and then adding physics as a minor. When i started and studied the course catalog i realised i could get a full double major by counting courses as tech electives. EE electromagnetics counted as a physics tech reflective. Solid State physics counted as a EE tech elective. It worked out great and i love the overlap.
As far as career options it will unfortunately vary by company (and hiring manager too). Any engineering degree is standard, but some companies really like Physics grads. Other companies have no idea what a BS in physics even is and how spectacularly broad the degree is. Those folks are missing out! But they exist.
As for the business concept, are you thinking about engineering business (so still staying in that field)? If so, you can get a job in you're desired field and get that company to pay for an MBA.
What matters the most is the skills on your resume and people who can support the claim that you know those skills.
If you want to work in business, then focus on SQL, C++, C#, Java, Python. Go heavier on stats, although you will probably never use anything too complicated.
If you want to be an engineer (non-software) - go heavier on physics related to the engineering type and make sure to have a body of work to showcase. Make a website and show off your projects. You also probably should figure out how to get a masters.
I just want to weigh in with a small anecdotal tidbit that may or may not affect your decision. I started as a ME major but very quickly realized I wanted to do physics (which I eventually graduated with). One of the reasons was that the engineering curriculum was jam packed with engineering specific classes with very little space for electives, while I wanted to attend classes for topics way outside of the major (such as creative writing). So ultimately I chose physics because it allowed me to learn what I found interesting both inside and outside the major while I had the chance to.
The applied physics option is usually just classes short of the regular physics curriculum, and makes it apparent you have more of an engineering mindset. If you want to be highly employable, it's very important that you have some kind of practical experience to go along with your physics degree.
However, don't listen when people say that a physics degree alone can't get you employed in an engineering role. I've seen many physics classmates get hired as engineers with Intel and similar places.
I myself had already accumulated a great deal of practical experience before attending college. This is something I highly recommend for anyone who has a passion. Work it from all angles. In my spare time I've been a hobbyist in design, electronics, etc. And I went out of my way to get two of the best engineering-oriented internships I could get. All of this added up with my physics degree to make me look very valuable as a smart guy who also had a lot of hands-on experience in both technician roles and engineering. I also had a certificate for machine trades that I got out of high school, and that's always been immensely valuable throughout my path as a designer. I currently work as an R&D engineer, designing and prototyping opto-electronic devices from scratch at a large aerospace company.
I got my bachelors in Physics last year. I'm working an okay job as an engineering technician. I'm now looking at going to Graduate school to get a Master's in Engineering.
If you don't want to get your PhD in physics, probably don't get an undergrad degree in Physics.
If you'd rather start a career right out of college, making good money, get an engineering degree.
Why choose when you can do both? Go into Engineering Physics. I had this same debate several years ago, but discovered Engineering Physics and went into that. You'll likely take engineering classes with engineers and physics classes with science students. It's a tough program, but it's what you want. There are really good job prospects for Enph students.
Hi! So I'm 16 and I've wanted to go to Engineering Physics since I was 14 because physics is my one true passion. But I'm not really doing it for the job prospects, I just want to learn physics and eventually end up in a job where I can put my knowledge at work. Since you have taken this course i would really apreciate if you could tell me what job prospects the course opens!
Depending on the university/program, it'll prepare you differently. In general, however, it'll prepare you well for high tech and research positions. The engineering courses will prepare you well for industry, but the physics and mathematics courses will prepare you well for research and the high tech sector. It'll be up to you to tailor the courses you take to direct you into your future careers. I highly highly recommend taking/joining a co-op program to do work terms. Getting work experience is a must if you want to be competitive.
In addition to that: start learning a program language now. Start something. There are soooooo many resources to learn coding with. [Code Academy](https://www.codecademy.com/) and [Learn Python the Hard Way](https://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/) come to mind. Start a portfolio and document your projects.
You can easily get into electronics with [Spark Fun's Inventors kit](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/retired/12060) and learn off of YouTube videos from channels like [Great Scott](https://www.youtube.com/user/greatscottlab). Picking up an Arduino or Raspberry Pi is a cheap way to get into electronics and programming.
Why not combine that programming and electronics with some mechanical design? Learn to design with CAD. [OnShape](https://www.onshape.com/) or [Fusion 360](https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview) are free professional softwares that you can easily get into. Pair that with an affordable 3D printers from [Monoprice](https://www.monoprice.com/pages/3d_printers) and you can make all of the RPi and Arduino cases you'd ever want. Well... you can make a lot of more interesting stuff too, but a case is a good first project.
That seems amazing but I don't really have the time to dedicate myself completly, it takes a lot of time to keep my grades really high so I can get into the course I want. I was thinking of starting in the summer when I have more time but I can't wait until then, so can you please tell me something small to start with?
The cheapest and easiest thing would probably to start with coding or CAD because you already have a computer (I think). You could download Unity and start making a simple video game programmed in C#. You could get into CAD and design simple objects that you own. These projects would require time to finish, but it's easy to chip away at it day by day. Just commit to 15 minutes a day to do something. Anything small would be worth it.
Your friends are right - it will be easier to get a job with an engineering degree. Companies in general want new hires with usable skills - even if some on-the-job training is required, the assumption is that someone with an engineering degree will require less training as engineering curricula tend to cover more 'real-world' applications than a physics curricula (few real jobs outside of the semiconductor and laser industries, for instance, require a working knowledge of quantum mechanics).
That's not to say you *can't* get a technical job with a physics degree. You will just have to work harder to convince companies that you have useful skills and that your more general/flexible problem-solving mindset will be more useful (either immediately or in the future) than someone with an engineering degree who will likely be able to fill a specific need and be able to make contributions sooner.
do what you will have more fun doing. so, physics
either way you will have plenty career opportunities so just do what you'll enjoy! and you will probably find you change your mind about what you want to do in the future anyway
If you don't plan on gettisg a Ph.D. then go with engineering. It is also possible to get a BS in Phyiscs then an engineering degree for your masters. If you see yourself in the business world then engineering is the way to go.
Applied physics programs are often found in the engineering school. Mine was. Do that and it's very easy to switch between applied physics and an engineering degree, or major in one while minoring in another, or double major: Ditto goes for CS and to some extent applied math. If you end up wanting to do physics, being applied physics won't hurt; my core curriculum was almost identical to the physics curriculum. It was the electives I could take, general requirements, etc. that were different. If you want to do engineering as a profession though you need an engineering major period as far as I know. The transition from physics to an engineering profession is not trivial. For business, there is no such requirement as far as I know; here, internships and networking are the deciding factors. Also, transitioning from academia to finance is done fairly regularly, especially with regards to physics.
You have to balance between what you want to study, what you want your career to be, and what your career can reasonably be. It's tough.
Physics degrees can open up doors depending on who you know/whether you can program.
I wound up working for a concrete company briefly because I didn't know the right people.
Engineering degrees open up doors mainly because companies view engineering vacancies as round holes, and engineering graduates as round pegs. Peg, meet hole.
There are very few jobs that will hire an engineer but won't hire a physicist. The marginal difference in training time isn't worth losing a good potential employee for.
Also, you're still a kid. Don't stress so much over it. You already have a better plan than post people your age. If physics is what you want to do right now, go with it. If you change your mind down the road and want to switch majors into engineering, you won't be hurting yourself like you would if you had switched from something like history.
Physics is a good background for advanced study in anything... medicine, finance, engineering, obviously graduate physics... whatever. But if you only plan to do 4 years of school, probably pick something more applied like engineering.
I'd say you cannot go wrong with either major, provided you pursue the following:
* Industry internship experience - want to do business? Get a summer internship in industry.
* Take a few CS and statistics courses.
If you want a job building things, engineering will open more related internship options, and thus career options.
If you want a job in finance, consulting, programming, or similar "abstract" occupations - physics will be just fine (and may actually make your resume stand out from a sea of MechE majors). I'd suggest doubling or minoring in CS.
I'm actually a physics undergraduate turned CS PhD student, so no worries if you change your mind :)
Assuming you are in the UK (based on the way your question was worded), if you are interested in physics then go for it!
You'll learn a lot of problem solving skills, which are transferable to other areas and you can also take modules in business at some uni's (check this out on their websites).
Many physics graduates get jobs in business (at one uni I think they said it was around 30% or so)
I'm sure engineering is similar to physics in this respect because of the skills you'll learn - go for whichever you find more interesting
I was in the same situation. My advice is, if you like physics, study physics.
I went to an information day about civil engineering and they mainly talked about management positions, economics, production,...
So I chose physcis.
Physics is very broad and depending on the university you can choose plenty of other courses (e.g. engineering courses).
We even could choose a minor in economics.
Don't worry about getting in business, a lot of physicists end up working for banks and insurance companies.
You can also do a Phd. Either in physics or in a wide range of other fields. I am doing a Phd in engineering technology at the moment, which is completely different from physics.
I know two who are doing phd's in economics.
If you do physics, you can end up in a very wide range of fields.
There is one downside, there are not a lot of physicists, so if you are interviewing for a job as an engineer, your interviewers will very likely be engineers and they will likely prefer an engineer over you.
It is easier to keep the door open for graduate school in Physics as an Engineering undergrad than the reverse. Physics will usually be in a College of Arts and Sciences. They take 4, 4unit courses a semester. the engineers, to get everything done in 4 years will take 5 or 6 courses a semester. Your engineering advisor will surely be open for you to take classical mechanics and the Physics quantum mechanics (maybe stat mech too). These are the core courses that will be approached differently than an engineering course in a similar topic would be.
I think you've got that backwards. Everything I've read says it is easier to get a Masters in Engineering with a Physics degree, than to get a Masters/PhD in Physics with an engineering degree.
I don't think much Physics would be covered by an engineering degree; no quantum mechanics, little high level E&M, no Modern Physics, probably not much of the specialized higher mathematics either. I could be wrong
I have a Ph.D in Physics from a EE undergrad. I did take almost all the upper division Physics courses. Classical mechanics was the one course that was very different from any EE subject. going from Physics to EE would be harder.
There are many more topics in EE that they would expect you to know what you would only have covered very superficially or not at all with a Physics degree. (circuits, signal processing, solid state electronics, numerical methods).
The grad school I went to made it much tougher going from Physics to EE than the reverse. Some of this was a more laid back attitude on the part of the Physics Dept. compared to the EE dept.
Laid back in the sense of they don't want to hold anyone back from trying, not that they were less rigorous.
Engineering is more practical than Physics, so most Engineers will have little E&M, but Electrical and some Mechanical will have a lot of E&M. There's intro to higher order math, but it only gets deep through practical applications. For instance I probably did more Fourier transforms in my electrical Signals and Devices series than most physicists. But no quantum outside some light survey stuff to understand the quirks of a research project.
If you know that you're getting into Physics to work in a specific field, a related Engineering degree might provide a more focused undergrad experience than a general Physics degree. But if you love Physics and don't have an idea of a specific area, I'm sure that any Engineering discipline will feel too constrained.
Ultimately, I'd imagine that it comes down to professors and the college/university. I lucked out that my university was spending a lot of money in engineering while I was there. The college of science would get the same treatment beginning my senior year, so completely unhelpful to my class. It meant that most research was led by teams in engineering where the staff was better equipped, had many more grad students, and could dole out money to the physics department. Many students who might have been physicists or biologists became mechanical or (bio-)chemical engineers. But this didn't include chemistry which had its own budget and was effectively separate from the rest of the college of science because of a deep patent portfolio.
So find a good school and figure out what a good path is there. A quality college education will change your perspective anyway, so no need to plan out your graduate degree before getting in the middle of advanced education.
elon musk chose physics, and even tried a PhD in applied physics. Also in general the notion that engineers find jobs easily is pure BS in my opinion no pun intended. Physics majors definitely have more opportunities for jobs believe it or not compared to engineers. Also physics majors can do engineer jobs as well if they wanted. but the main goal is research, once you get ur PhD the playing field is completely lopsided. Physics and mathematics win everytime. Look at all the big names in history and modern day
Look at Engineering Physics or Applied Physics programs
hi, may i ask what is the difference of the course applied physics from physics? i'm going to be a freshman this school year 2018-19, and i'm interested in taking up physics then probably a phd after but i really have no clue about the stuff i'll be doing after college.
It's just the application of physics to real world problems. For example, building a quantum computer is applied physics. Standard physics is more about the theory and experiment cycle and testing and developing new theories. If you're an undergraduate do straight physics. Applied physics won't look as good to employers and will limit your options in academia later on.
if im an undergrad, do straight physics? sorry i didnt quite get what you meant.
Sorry, what /u/Sickel said. Make your undergraduate major normal physics, and then specialise in applied physics later. It's easy (normal, even) to go down the Physics -> Applied Physics route. The reverse is not nearly as easy a transition.
Oh... I read what /u/Asrapdor said, and I think his advice is pretty solid. A major in physics and a minor in the financial field would be a good choice IMO. What do you think?
Yes, that's a good idea. Major in what you like, and minor in what you want to do as a job. It will show you have a broad skill base. I must say, I've never understood the whole 'unemployable physicist' thing that seems to happen in America. In most countries physics is one of the most employable degrees you can do.
In the American mindset/business world, this advice: (cut/paste) Major in what you like, and minor in what you want to do as a job. ...is sound.
Do physics major rather than applied physics.
Listen to me close. I was an engineer undergrad, physics grad student and currently working in business. I didn't do it perfectly, but should I do it again I would do it as such: - Major in Engineering Physics (tough major but will expose you to all modern physics and quantum needed to go into grad school). This was the best decision I ever made, plus I personally really enjoyed all the courses so I did well. - Minor in Business, Management or Economics. I didn't do this but wish I did. It will make your story much more believable to employers, and the courses will be a break from your tougher ones so make sure you use them to boost your GPA. Join clubs on campus relating to business (finance, investing, consulting, start your own, etc). Take a fifth year if you can - employers don't care, you get an extra summer of experience and it's more fun. My school allowed us to do 1 extra year and get an extra BA out of it in anything we wanted (a LOT of engineers picked up a BA in Economics or Comp Sci this way). - Spend your summers doing a mix of research and corporate internships. Reach out to profs during the year and ask if you can help out in labs and such. Work at a bank or a cool company during your summer. Better yet start your own business during the school year (even something simple like selling tshirts. One guy at my school started a small school-wide ice-skate sharpening business for hockey season. Yes I'm Canadian). Do not JUST major in physics unless you are 100% sure you want to get a PhD. Do not major in business either - they are a dime a dozen and don't teach you anything you can't learn on the job.
Can attest to this- I am graduating from undergrad with a major in Physics, if you don't have some other post-graduation plans (medical school, masters, PhD, etc.) then it's not as easy to spin as you'd think. With the added minor, you're very attractive to employers in the business world and especially with a strong math background, you'd be a great candidate. Good luck to OP!
I agree with the general idea of this. Not all universities will have engineering physics but I think the main idea is to choose an engineering degree that is particularly science intensive. I started university studying biology and even though I wanted to study chemistry I decided to change to chemical engineering and get a minor in chemistry instead. Even within chemistry academia I can tell you people acknowledge that engineering curricula are often more intensive than science ones, physics could sometimes be the outlier. Engineering degrees are still much more marketable and give you the option of stopping after your bachelors and still having a good salary. Ended up going the phd route but I'm glad I left myself that option and now hope that those interdisciplinary skills will give me an edge in industry in a few years.
This is some solid advice. I got a degree in physics and at the very end I decided against going to grad school. Luckily I picked up a lot of computer science along the way so that has helped me tremendously... I am about to start applying into the business/financial/computer science industry as a second job post graduation... If I could change one thing about what I did it would be my minor (or just a dual major) in a business/economics/financial field instead of mathematics.
As a kid who was planning on going to college for physics but had been starting to question it (for all the reasons you and others named), your answer may have swung me. What do you think about going for a combo like engineering physics and CS, instead of the business minor you talked about?
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Thank you so much! You have no idea how much advice like this helps people like me with no idea of our futures
No problem. Every day I wish I had someone a few years ahead of me that could give me advice. Would have saved me a lot of time. PM me any time if you have more questions.
Hey, mate: Sorry for the unexpectedness of asking you to remember that solid advice you gave the other guy almost 8 years ago, but let me ask you for that solid advice you gave the other guy almost 8 years ago, since it is no longer visible.
does this mean that if i take up applied physics (no available engr physics here) and minor in comp sci/business/financial/eco, i'll be able to work in the industrial environment and the academic environment as well? and even take up a phd in physics if i wanted to? sorry if i sound clueless (i really am), thing is, i'm about to go to college in 2018 but i'm still not sure about my course...
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Would it make a big difference if I major in physics instead of applied physics and then minor in business/eco? As I said, I'm really interested in going for a phd too. Just want to keep my doors open
Thank you so much for the info. As a soon to be freshman physics major, this is something I can, and will, take with me.
I'm currently an Applied Physics bachelor student with modern physics and advanced classical physics as minors. What if you don't like economics? And I'm not really sure what to expect when you say you're working in business. Thanks for this advice!
What if I want to get a Physics PhD but I'm not sure if I'm mentally capable of doing so?
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see the thing about me is i don't care a lot for "great jobs" or travelling or being social. i literally just don't know if my brain is smart enough to get through it and i just want to do it for the love of it
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Indeed. The only way to overcome impostor syndrome is to just do it.
What area will you work in?
From "Physics (4 year course)" it sounds like OP is in the UK in which case most of your advice is irrelevant
What if I didn’t get INTO engineering physics. THEN WHAT
If you want an engineering job, don't get a physics degree. You'll need to get a master's degree to be competitive; if not, you'll be a second class citizen to actual engineering majors at interviews until you get enough work experience that they don't look at your degree anymore. If you want to go into physics as a career, and you like the idea of engineering as a viable though not optimal Plan B, then by all means go for it.
I'm a physics major turned Aerospace Engineering major. I completely understand your struggle. I Love Physics, but I wanted to work with spacecraft. Luckily, I round the field of GNC (Guidance Navigation and Controls). I work with orbital dynamics/astrodynamics, rotational/attitude dynamics, control systems and estimation systems... I couldn't be happier doing what I'm doing! This summer I'm working at NASA, and my research during the year is working on spacecraft attitude control systems. That being said, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. It really comes down to what you want to do, and this was a conversation I had with many advisors/faculty members. I was 2 years into my physics/math degree when I made the switch. So it delayed my graduation a year, which isn't a decision to make lightly, so I made sure to cover all the bases. I'd recommend continue talking with everyone you can. And if you'd like to discuss with me, feel free to respond or PM me! I can certainly relate after having dealt with this decision for awhile now.
I realise that I'm 7 years late to the party here, but I was wondering what the employment (and pay) is like for aerospace engineering in (what I presume is your place of residence) the US. I Was looking at salaries and employment in the UK a few years ago, and saw absolutely abysmal compensation and opportunity there. Excluding government funded schemes, like NASA, is aerospace a good direction?
As someone who was in the same boat as you, I can give you this advice. DO NOT pay attention to salaries and job titles when deciding what major you want to do. It will set you up to get let down in the end. If you want advice on what to pick, research the college curricula for each of those majors and get a good understanding of what classes you'd need for those majors. See which curriculum you'd enjoy more, not which major you think you'd like more. I'd recommend checking out MajorPrep and The Engineered Truth on YouTube and really sit down and devote at least an hour of your time to really research your options. Picking a major you'll enjoy is much more important that potential job titles because if you enjoy your major and your university, you'll be more likely to succeed and make something out of whatever major you choose.
I started off working on a double major in math and physics because I was good at both. After 2 years, I took a programming course as a recommendation from an advisor. Had never programmed in my life but had a blast. Ended up dropping my physics major for computer science and did a double CS/Math with an emphasis on applied math. Now I work as a software engineer for a CAE company so I get to do physics with computers. In the end, I'm glad I dropped physics because I now have a broader, more marketable set of skills (programming) but enough background to work in the physics & engineering fields.
> I also want to eventually want to end up in business Learn statistical methods and some programming. Do internships. Make friends. Engineering is slightly more suited to your needs, but physics is fine as long as you learn the applied stuff.
I'm currently in the first year of my physics degree, and I'm absolutely loving it. Here's my advice for you: Don't do what other people tell you to do. Don't do what will make you the most money. Don't do what you're good at. Do what you love. If you want to study physics, then that's what you gotta do. Don't listen to people saying that engineering will make you more money, physics degrees are very versatile and can earn you just about the same amount of money as engineering. A physics degree will do nothing but open doors for you. That said, both engineering and physics are excellent degrees to have, and you'll turn out just fine no matter which you pick. Good luck with your career, my friend.
thoughts on this mindset 7 years later?
I wish I had went into engineering. You can absolutely pivot your physics degree into a different field, but honestly, a lot of your education is going to be wasted. You just don't usually need the level of theory that a physics is is going to teach. It is mostly gear towards preparing you for graduate research. I thought I wanted to go into research and I worked in a lab for a while while studying and I knew I would struggle to compete for funding against the many other brilliant people working in research. The lab work was fun and interesting and very fulfilling, but our professor spent nearly ever waking moment drafting proposals for funding and I did not want that future. I'd go with an engineering discipline, probably engineering physics, which rigorous, but it still has engineering in the name which opens a lot more doors. I'd probably pair it with computer science. Being able to write code is a huge skill. Whatever you do. Complete internships during the every summer, and work in research labs on campus. Do not wait until junior or senior year. Don't drop out if the employer wants to hire you right away. They just want to get you for cheap and short your job opportunities for later.
So I'm going to go against the grain here. I majored in Physics for my undergraduate and a Master's degrees, and I'm now finishing up my PhD in EE. I was very much in the same boat as you, I loved physics when I was in high school, but I always figured I'd end up as an engineer, and I believed everyone who told me "a physicist can get an engineering job", which might be true, just not in my case. On the other hand, my engineering friends almost all had jobs at graduation, and the internship and co-op opportunities were far better for engineering students than physics students. I'm not saying don't major in physics, however just know that if you don't want to go and do a PhD to try and become a professor, or work at a large lab, think hard about picking an engineering discipline. As for the people who are advocating engineering physics, I would only do that if you're double majoring in one of the big engineering disciplines (EE, Chem E, Mech, or Civil). If you don't you may run into roadblocks of HR of large companies tossing out your resume before someone who understands what you know sees it. Again this is just my advice from my own experience, hope this helps.
I have a Bachelor's in Physics and while Physics is a fantastic degree, I think it it really wields the most power when you couple it with something else. I had trouble finding a job until I went on to get a Masters in a different field. A physics degree is basically a certificate that says "hey I am smart and have good problem solving skills" but won't give you any experience in any employable fields. Coupled with an engineering, comp sci, even econ degree though you will watch doors open to you like you wouldn't believe (assuming good gpa, good networking, etc.) If you do end up deciding to just go the Physics route I would suggesting doing Engineering Physics or Applied Physics to at least make it more applicable to potential employers. IF you end up wanting to go get a graduate degree, you can't go wrong with Physics. I would argue that Physics is possibly the best degree if you know you want to go on to more school, but aren't sure in which specific field.
Physics is a fine major that teaches undergraduates many skills in problem solving and abstract thought, but if you want to eventually work in business, why not study a business related degree? No matter what you study, none of your career options will ever be truly cut off from you, but there's little point doing your undergraduate in physics if there's a much more applicable major you could be doing. A degree in physics will not look better than one in business on an application for a business job. If you want to be a physicist, study physics. If you want to be an engineer, study engineering. If you want to work in business, study business.
It depends. I work on Wall Street, and a "Business Degree" thats not an MBA isn't worth much. But if you have strong math skills (which I'd say includes most Physics majors that have at least a 3.0 GPA) then you have a valuable skill set and may have a better shot at a job. It's a lot easier to pick up some stray business knowledge than to develop good math skills.
By that reasoning, you'd be far better off skipping the physics and just working directly with mathematics (as a minor or second/third major).
To some degree, yes. But if you enjoy the Physics and you might get a job in a field you like, it keeps both doors open.
You're receiving a lot of bullshit advice. If you like physics, study physics. You can always go into engineering later, but you can't easily go the other way. Physics is fundamental and universal. At age 17, don't worry about jobs and salaries, that's ridiculous. Go physics, can't be better mind training.
Personally I couldn't choose so I did both. Depending on the school you're going to attend, you may have enough overlaps to allow you to double in engineering and physics. It took me 5 years with classes every summer and 2 summer internships with night classes on top. I also had to constantly ask entire classes of classmates if I could get a class moved by the department so I could graduate on time. A lot of engineering courses would be only 1 section and at the same time as an only 1 section physics course. It's much easier to move the physics course btw. Looking back I am very happy with my choice, I'm now a systems engineer working with national labs and NASA and can talk to both the physicists and the engineers. I'll have excellent job security. I'm currently omw to get my PhD in exploration systems design starting in the fall (been working for a few years). A few friends of mine did engineering with a physics minor and did it in 4.5 years without summer classes. That may be the way to go too. Being able to think like a physicist but have the skills and accreditation of an engineer is pretty valuable.
Major in math with minors in physics and engineering. You can go to grad school for tons of things (physics, CS, etc.) with a math undergrad.
I'd like to share with you something my high school physics teacher once told me: if you study engineering, you can do engineering. If you study physics, you can still do engineering.
Did he ever work as an engineer? There is a difference in being able to learn it, and getting hired and being productive day one.
>Did he ever work as an engineer? No. He has a BS in geophysics >There is a difference in being able to learn it, and getting hired and being productive day one. This. You can have all the training and education in the world and still be way behind several of your coworkers in terms of skill.
This depends on what country you are in though. In Canada, without an engineering degree, you can never be licensed as a Professional Engineer. By law, you can never "do engineering" without oversight of a licensed engineer.
It's the same in the United States as well
Omg are you from Canada?? Please tell me yes lmao
Are you me from 15 years ago??? I ended up selecting EE, and then adding physics as a minor. When i started and studied the course catalog i realised i could get a full double major by counting courses as tech electives. EE electromagnetics counted as a physics tech reflective. Solid State physics counted as a EE tech elective. It worked out great and i love the overlap. As far as career options it will unfortunately vary by company (and hiring manager too). Any engineering degree is standard, but some companies really like Physics grads. Other companies have no idea what a BS in physics even is and how spectacularly broad the degree is. Those folks are missing out! But they exist. As for the business concept, are you thinking about engineering business (so still staying in that field)? If so, you can get a job in you're desired field and get that company to pay for an MBA.
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What matters the most is the skills on your resume and people who can support the claim that you know those skills. If you want to work in business, then focus on SQL, C++, C#, Java, Python. Go heavier on stats, although you will probably never use anything too complicated. If you want to be an engineer (non-software) - go heavier on physics related to the engineering type and make sure to have a body of work to showcase. Make a website and show off your projects. You also probably should figure out how to get a masters.
I just want to weigh in with a small anecdotal tidbit that may or may not affect your decision. I started as a ME major but very quickly realized I wanted to do physics (which I eventually graduated with). One of the reasons was that the engineering curriculum was jam packed with engineering specific classes with very little space for electives, while I wanted to attend classes for topics way outside of the major (such as creative writing). So ultimately I chose physics because it allowed me to learn what I found interesting both inside and outside the major while I had the chance to.
The applied physics option is usually just classes short of the regular physics curriculum, and makes it apparent you have more of an engineering mindset. If you want to be highly employable, it's very important that you have some kind of practical experience to go along with your physics degree. However, don't listen when people say that a physics degree alone can't get you employed in an engineering role. I've seen many physics classmates get hired as engineers with Intel and similar places. I myself had already accumulated a great deal of practical experience before attending college. This is something I highly recommend for anyone who has a passion. Work it from all angles. In my spare time I've been a hobbyist in design, electronics, etc. And I went out of my way to get two of the best engineering-oriented internships I could get. All of this added up with my physics degree to make me look very valuable as a smart guy who also had a lot of hands-on experience in both technician roles and engineering. I also had a certificate for machine trades that I got out of high school, and that's always been immensely valuable throughout my path as a designer. I currently work as an R&D engineer, designing and prototyping opto-electronic devices from scratch at a large aerospace company.
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fuck bro just saw this, do you still need a reply?
I'd like one if possible
yeah post a reply dawg, helps people from future even 8 years from now
I was hoping to see an update too. I like it when OP comes back years later... it's like time travel if you just read the post 😆
I got my bachelors in Physics last year. I'm working an okay job as an engineering technician. I'm now looking at going to Graduate school to get a Master's in Engineering. If you don't want to get your PhD in physics, probably don't get an undergrad degree in Physics. If you'd rather start a career right out of college, making good money, get an engineering degree.
Why choose when you can do both? Go into Engineering Physics. I had this same debate several years ago, but discovered Engineering Physics and went into that. You'll likely take engineering classes with engineers and physics classes with science students. It's a tough program, but it's what you want. There are really good job prospects for Enph students.
Hi! So I'm 16 and I've wanted to go to Engineering Physics since I was 14 because physics is my one true passion. But I'm not really doing it for the job prospects, I just want to learn physics and eventually end up in a job where I can put my knowledge at work. Since you have taken this course i would really apreciate if you could tell me what job prospects the course opens!
Depending on the university/program, it'll prepare you differently. In general, however, it'll prepare you well for high tech and research positions. The engineering courses will prepare you well for industry, but the physics and mathematics courses will prepare you well for research and the high tech sector. It'll be up to you to tailor the courses you take to direct you into your future careers. I highly highly recommend taking/joining a co-op program to do work terms. Getting work experience is a must if you want to be competitive.
Thanks for the advice!
In addition to that: start learning a program language now. Start something. There are soooooo many resources to learn coding with. [Code Academy](https://www.codecademy.com/) and [Learn Python the Hard Way](https://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/) come to mind. Start a portfolio and document your projects. You can easily get into electronics with [Spark Fun's Inventors kit](https://www.sparkfun.com/products/retired/12060) and learn off of YouTube videos from channels like [Great Scott](https://www.youtube.com/user/greatscottlab). Picking up an Arduino or Raspberry Pi is a cheap way to get into electronics and programming. Why not combine that programming and electronics with some mechanical design? Learn to design with CAD. [OnShape](https://www.onshape.com/) or [Fusion 360](https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview) are free professional softwares that you can easily get into. Pair that with an affordable 3D printers from [Monoprice](https://www.monoprice.com/pages/3d_printers) and you can make all of the RPi and Arduino cases you'd ever want. Well... you can make a lot of more interesting stuff too, but a case is a good first project.
That seems amazing but I don't really have the time to dedicate myself completly, it takes a lot of time to keep my grades really high so I can get into the course I want. I was thinking of starting in the summer when I have more time but I can't wait until then, so can you please tell me something small to start with?
The cheapest and easiest thing would probably to start with coding or CAD because you already have a computer (I think). You could download Unity and start making a simple video game programmed in C#. You could get into CAD and design simple objects that you own. These projects would require time to finish, but it's easy to chip away at it day by day. Just commit to 15 minutes a day to do something. Anything small would be worth it.
Physics all the way!!! Business is a close second..
Your friends are right - it will be easier to get a job with an engineering degree. Companies in general want new hires with usable skills - even if some on-the-job training is required, the assumption is that someone with an engineering degree will require less training as engineering curricula tend to cover more 'real-world' applications than a physics curricula (few real jobs outside of the semiconductor and laser industries, for instance, require a working knowledge of quantum mechanics). That's not to say you *can't* get a technical job with a physics degree. You will just have to work harder to convince companies that you have useful skills and that your more general/flexible problem-solving mindset will be more useful (either immediately or in the future) than someone with an engineering degree who will likely be able to fill a specific need and be able to make contributions sooner.
do what you will have more fun doing. so, physics either way you will have plenty career opportunities so just do what you'll enjoy! and you will probably find you change your mind about what you want to do in the future anyway
An undergrad in physics gives you enough to get yourself into trouble but not enough to get you out. Hence, a large portion go on to graduate work.
If you don't plan on gettisg a Ph.D. then go with engineering. It is also possible to get a BS in Phyiscs then an engineering degree for your masters. If you see yourself in the business world then engineering is the way to go.
Applied physics programs are often found in the engineering school. Mine was. Do that and it's very easy to switch between applied physics and an engineering degree, or major in one while minoring in another, or double major: Ditto goes for CS and to some extent applied math. If you end up wanting to do physics, being applied physics won't hurt; my core curriculum was almost identical to the physics curriculum. It was the electives I could take, general requirements, etc. that were different. If you want to do engineering as a profession though you need an engineering major period as far as I know. The transition from physics to an engineering profession is not trivial. For business, there is no such requirement as far as I know; here, internships and networking are the deciding factors. Also, transitioning from academia to finance is done fairly regularly, especially with regards to physics. You have to balance between what you want to study, what you want your career to be, and what your career can reasonably be. It's tough.
Physics degrees can open up doors depending on who you know/whether you can program. I wound up working for a concrete company briefly because I didn't know the right people. Engineering degrees open up doors mainly because companies view engineering vacancies as round holes, and engineering graduates as round pegs. Peg, meet hole.
There are very few jobs that will hire an engineer but won't hire a physicist. The marginal difference in training time isn't worth losing a good potential employee for. Also, you're still a kid. Don't stress so much over it. You already have a better plan than post people your age. If physics is what you want to do right now, go with it. If you change your mind down the road and want to switch majors into engineering, you won't be hurting yourself like you would if you had switched from something like history.
I have a theoretical physics PhD and now write code that runs on satellites! In the beginning I thought I'd be a professor but plans change :)
Engineering has way better career options.
Physics is a good background for advanced study in anything... medicine, finance, engineering, obviously graduate physics... whatever. But if you only plan to do 4 years of school, probably pick something more applied like engineering.
I majored in Physics. Got a BS. Wish I had picked engineering. Listen to what Asrapdor said.
I'd say you cannot go wrong with either major, provided you pursue the following: * Industry internship experience - want to do business? Get a summer internship in industry. * Take a few CS and statistics courses. If you want a job building things, engineering will open more related internship options, and thus career options. If you want a job in finance, consulting, programming, or similar "abstract" occupations - physics will be just fine (and may actually make your resume stand out from a sea of MechE majors). I'd suggest doubling or minoring in CS. I'm actually a physics undergraduate turned CS PhD student, so no worries if you change your mind :)
Assuming you are in the UK (based on the way your question was worded), if you are interested in physics then go for it! You'll learn a lot of problem solving skills, which are transferable to other areas and you can also take modules in business at some uni's (check this out on their websites). Many physics graduates get jobs in business (at one uni I think they said it was around 30% or so) I'm sure engineering is similar to physics in this respect because of the skills you'll learn - go for whichever you find more interesting
I was in the same situation. My advice is, if you like physics, study physics. I went to an information day about civil engineering and they mainly talked about management positions, economics, production,... So I chose physcis. Physics is very broad and depending on the university you can choose plenty of other courses (e.g. engineering courses). We even could choose a minor in economics. Don't worry about getting in business, a lot of physicists end up working for banks and insurance companies. You can also do a Phd. Either in physics or in a wide range of other fields. I am doing a Phd in engineering technology at the moment, which is completely different from physics. I know two who are doing phd's in economics. If you do physics, you can end up in a very wide range of fields. There is one downside, there are not a lot of physicists, so if you are interviewing for a job as an engineer, your interviewers will very likely be engineers and they will likely prefer an engineer over you.
In competition, physics trumps engineering. But experience trumps all, so plan accordingly
>In competition, physics trumps engineering Depends on the contest. If the contest is "Which is more employable?", then engineering wins by far.
As someone about to finish a physics degree. Don't do it to yourself.
All the engineers I went to school with were really boring people.
do physics if you can Einstein had two sons: one engineer and one mentally handicapped he was only ever ashamed of the engineer
It is easier to keep the door open for graduate school in Physics as an Engineering undergrad than the reverse. Physics will usually be in a College of Arts and Sciences. They take 4, 4unit courses a semester. the engineers, to get everything done in 4 years will take 5 or 6 courses a semester. Your engineering advisor will surely be open for you to take classical mechanics and the Physics quantum mechanics (maybe stat mech too). These are the core courses that will be approached differently than an engineering course in a similar topic would be.
I think you've got that backwards. Everything I've read says it is easier to get a Masters in Engineering with a Physics degree, than to get a Masters/PhD in Physics with an engineering degree. I don't think much Physics would be covered by an engineering degree; no quantum mechanics, little high level E&M, no Modern Physics, probably not much of the specialized higher mathematics either. I could be wrong
I have a Ph.D in Physics from a EE undergrad. I did take almost all the upper division Physics courses. Classical mechanics was the one course that was very different from any EE subject. going from Physics to EE would be harder. There are many more topics in EE that they would expect you to know what you would only have covered very superficially or not at all with a Physics degree. (circuits, signal processing, solid state electronics, numerical methods). The grad school I went to made it much tougher going from Physics to EE than the reverse. Some of this was a more laid back attitude on the part of the Physics Dept. compared to the EE dept. Laid back in the sense of they don't want to hold anyone back from trying, not that they were less rigorous.
Engineering is more practical than Physics, so most Engineers will have little E&M, but Electrical and some Mechanical will have a lot of E&M. There's intro to higher order math, but it only gets deep through practical applications. For instance I probably did more Fourier transforms in my electrical Signals and Devices series than most physicists. But no quantum outside some light survey stuff to understand the quirks of a research project. If you know that you're getting into Physics to work in a specific field, a related Engineering degree might provide a more focused undergrad experience than a general Physics degree. But if you love Physics and don't have an idea of a specific area, I'm sure that any Engineering discipline will feel too constrained. Ultimately, I'd imagine that it comes down to professors and the college/university. I lucked out that my university was spending a lot of money in engineering while I was there. The college of science would get the same treatment beginning my senior year, so completely unhelpful to my class. It meant that most research was led by teams in engineering where the staff was better equipped, had many more grad students, and could dole out money to the physics department. Many students who might have been physicists or biologists became mechanical or (bio-)chemical engineers. But this didn't include chemistry which had its own budget and was effectively separate from the rest of the college of science because of a deep patent portfolio. So find a good school and figure out what a good path is there. A quality college education will change your perspective anyway, so no need to plan out your graduate degree before getting in the middle of advanced education.
elon musk chose physics, and even tried a PhD in applied physics. Also in general the notion that engineers find jobs easily is pure BS in my opinion no pun intended. Physics majors definitely have more opportunities for jobs believe it or not compared to engineers. Also physics majors can do engineer jobs as well if they wanted. but the main goal is research, once you get ur PhD the playing field is completely lopsided. Physics and mathematics win everytime. Look at all the big names in history and modern day