In case people missed this article, this is a field of physics that needs a lot more free advertisement and enticement to students - Accelerator Physics
http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/cms/?pid=1000802
This is a perfect field for someone who can't decide on whether he/she wants to be an engineer or a physicist. Accelerator physics straddles comfortably both areas, and this includes physics, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.
And no, it is NOT tied to only high energy physics. In the DOE website titled "
Accelerators for America's Future", there are many examples of how accelerators are used, ranging from medical applications to light sources. In fact, the majority of particle accelerators
have nothing to do with high energy physics.
Anecdotally, ALL of the students in accelerator physics (both physics and engineering majors) that I've encountered have never had a single problem of gaining employment in a field related to their majors.
Zz.