Can I get a Ph.D. in physics if my bachelor's degree isn't in physics

saim_

How do you guys think graduate schools look upon courses taken with informal credit only (I know this will vary from person to person and school to school so I'm just looking for informed opinions here). I'm taking a graduate quantum mechanics class, but, as an undergrad, I'm not allowed by my school to register for it; not even as an "audit" course. I'm sitting for quizzes and completing assignments but I'm not allowed to sit for the exams. What I'll have to show for this course is a recommendation sort of a thing from the professor, stating that I took all the classes. I'm hoping to take two or three more such physics courses by the end of my (mechanical engineering) degree. What would such courses be worth, for applying to physics graduate schools?

ZapperZ

I continue to get questions and PMs related to this thread, and from the responses and discussions I see going on here, I think many of you missed the point of this thread.

First of all, there are already plenty of threads asking about similar questions, and there have been a lot of responses given. Many of these provide answers from a personal point of view perspective, and often, we disagree on what's what. This thread doesn't intend to be one of those!. This thread does not address how more appealing you are if you took such-and-such class, or if you can get in with you do this-and-that. Answering those will require speculations!

What this thread was meant to do is for you to do you own self-test! That's the whole point! Only YOU can prevent forest fires, and only YOU can do your own self-test to see if you are prepared for a physics graduate program in a US institution! In the First Page of this thread, I believe that I've outlined clearly the two self-tests that you can do on your own, without needing any input from anyone else. I also summarized this point in Part VIIIa of "So You Want To Be A Physicist" essay.

So please note that this thread is not meant for someone else to "evaluate" your chances. It is meant for YOU to evaluate your own chances.

Zz.

k21993

how did you shift from engineering to physics?i am an indian 1 year engineering student .please reply

jtbell

I suggest that you look at the date on Gokul's post.

fettuccine

Hey,

I read the first post about whether I'd have a chance at surviving grad school, but what I'd like to ask is whether I'd be admitted to grad school. My situation is that I'm a business major, gonna graduate soon. I know that I can't get admitted to a physics program like this, and that the best thing to do would be to get a BA in Physics. But honestly, starting a Bachelor's all over again doesn't sound quite appealing to me (financing is a question too, though I'm in Europe so it's not entirely impossible).

Rather I was thinking that I would get into an Economics Master's program, because (i) I'm more or less qualified, (ii) I find it interesting (though not as much as physics), and (iii) it's highly quantitative.

If I were to do well (as specified in the first post) in the GRE Physics test after my Master's (thanks to self-study), then would the good GRE Physics scores combined with a quantitative graduate degree in economics be enough for me to get admitted into a physics PhD program?

Honestly, I don't see any reason why I couldn't get admitted in this case, except for one thing: the lack of lab experience. But most schools only specify a "Bachelor's degree" as a requirement (along with the GRE Physics and other usual stuff, but nothing I don't have). So what would my likelihood of getting admitted be in your opinion?

Thanks in advance for the replies!

Astronuc

Please allow me to reiterate: and please note that the thread started more than 7 years ago.

In graduate school, there is an expectation that one has achieved a certain level of mastery in the subject, and that is most often based upon completing a baccalaureate (batchelor's) degree in the subject, in this case Physics. At the Master's degree level, one (in general) undertakes supervised research (i.e., one works on research usually decided by, or with approval of, one's faculty advisor) that leads to a Thesis. At the PhD level, one undertakes independent (and hopefully original) research, with support from faculty, which culminates in a dissertation.

It is possible to do a graduate degree in physics, but coming from a program without exposure to the mathematics and underlying fundamentals of physics (e.g., classical mechanics/dynamics, . . . ) would mean that one has to learn that material in order to accomplish an advanced program.

ZapperZ

As Astronuc has mentioned, you have missed completely the entire point of this thread. Only YOU can prevent forest fires, and only YOU can make your own self-determination on whether you can survive in a Physics graduate school.

Furthermore, you've made two strange points. You have neglected the SECOND part of my self-check procedure, which was the qualifying exams questions. Secondly, you've made a premature assumption that you would do well in the Physics GRE. I hate to burst your bubble, but this is not something you can assume, given your background. If I were to ask you right now for the ground state energy of a quantum harmonic oscillator, can you give me the answer right off the top of your head without looking it up? That is a typical question in one of these GRE tests.

I would also say that I've never come across anyone who has a graduate degree in physics with ONLY a business major undergraduate degree. That, in itself, should tell you something.

Zz.

fettuccine

Yes, indeed I missed the point of the thread. Sorry for that. But since you were still kind enough to reply, let me react on this.

I know what assumptions I made, my question was not whether those assumptions are realistic. My question was merely whether I'd have a shot at getting admitted if those assumptions were true. I have about two years to get ready for the Physics GRE. Obviously, right now I couldn't answer your question, but two years is a lot of time, and I think it's achievable. If I cannot do relatively well in the Physics GRE after two years of self-study, then that would simply indicate that I'm probably not cut out for a physics PhD anyways.

Furthermore, I don't know how well you read my post, but my plan is not to have a physics PhD with nothing more than a BA in Business. No, I'd first obtain an MSc in Economics, which is a highly quantitiative field, even though not as much as physics, but still it'd give me a solid mathematical background (+ the self-study for the Physics GRE).

My question was simply whether in your opinion a strong Physics GRE result with a Master's degree in a quantiative but not physics-related field (economics) would likely get me admitted into a Physics PhD program or not. Would I have shot, or would it be completely hopeless? That's what I'd like to know.

ZapperZ

Let's talk after you obtain this "strong Physics GRE" result. Until that happens, this is all going to be a meaningless speculation. I seldom waste my time doing such things.

Zz.

mjada76

What if you are a math major and want to go into something like astrophysics, astronomy or even theoretical physics for your graduate study?

ZapperZ

By asking ME that question, you have entirely missed the point of this thread. I suggest that you go back to the first few pages of this thread and spend some time reading it.

Zz.

mjada76

I did read it and I also read "so you want to become a physicist" thread as well...my bad I guess I should have worded my question better...I know I'd probably have to take more physics classes to prepare me for grad school, but my question is: would a math major have an advantage over a an EE going into physics? seeing how math is basically the language of physics!!...
Just would like to hear different opinions.

ZapperZ

But just because you know the language doesn't mean you have the ability to write "War and Peace".

I can also say that someone with an EE background will have more of an advantage if he/she wants to do experimental physics, or in particular, go into Accelerator Physics.

And that's the problem with trying to answer a question like this. It is extremely vague, because the specifics is a major factor in determining the outcome. That's the whole point in my writing this thread - YOU can figure out for yourself how equipped you are in surviving a physics graduate program. It is not meant to compare how much better you are than other majors.

Zz.

mjada76

I wasn't implying anyone was better than anybody else...the question it self was hypothetical and using the math/EE comparison was just an example!
Anyways... I get what you're saying and thanks for your help.

Hercuflea

Can a mathematics major who has taken Calc-Based Physics 1 and 2 and modern physics be accepted into a Ph.D in Physics program?

Vanadium 50

Hercuflea, did you read this thread?

jtbell

Can a physics major who has taken (only) typical Calc I-III, differential equations, and linear algebra be accepted into a math Ph.D. program?