Entering Physics Graduate School Without a Physics Degree

Can you enter physics graduate school without a physics degree?

I decided to write about this because it is a very common question on many physics forums: can someone without a physics degree be accepted into and succeed in a physics Ph.D. program?

The short answer is: it depends. Two main factors matter: (i) your undergraduate major and (ii) the physics and mathematics courses you completed. Students with majors such as electrical engineering, engineering mechanics, mathematics, or applied mathematics typically have an easier path because many course requirements overlap with physics. Students from non-technical majors (for example, economics or music) face a steeper climb.

How to evaluate your preparation — two concrete self-tests

There are two concrete self-evaluations you can perform to determine how well-prepared you are for a physics graduate program.

Self-test 1: GRE Physics Subject test (practice)

Get a copy of a GRE Physics Subject practice test and try it yourself. If you do not score 75% or better on a timed practice (or, for a looser self-evaluation, cannot demonstrate roughly that level of mastery using textbooks and unlimited time), you likely lack the preparation typically expected of incoming physics graduate students.

The GRE subject test covers a wide variety of undergraduate physics topics. Using extra time and referring to textbooks during this self-test is acceptable for diagnosis — it lets you check whether you know where to look for answers and how to work through unfamiliar problems. Knowing how to find relevant resources is an important indicator that you are not completely unprepared.

Self-test 2: Read the school’s qualifying exams

If you already have a target school, obtain copies of that school’s previous qualifying exams (see Part IX of this series for more on qualifying exams). You don’t need to fully solve every problem. Read each question and ask yourself: do I understand what is being asked, and can I outline an approach to solve it? If multiple questions leave you unsure where to start or what tools to use, you likely lack the specific preparation that school expects.

Qualifying exams are typically more advanced and longer than the GRE subject test, and they are not multiple choice. The important diagnostic is whether you can identify the physical principles and mathematical techniques that would be used to solve each problem, even if actually carrying out the solution is difficult.

Admission vs. survival

Getting accepted to a program is not the same as succeeding in it. Admission can be easier to obtain if you pay your own tuition, or if your undergraduate major overlaps substantially with physics. For example, with an engineering, computer science, or mathematics degree and a GPA of 3.0 or better, you can often find programs willing to accept you.

The crucial question is whether you can survive the curriculum and the qualifying exams and ultimately complete a Ph.D. If you are underprepared, you risk failing qualifying exams or falling behind in coursework, which could waste time and money.

If you are underprepared — next steps

If your self-tests show gaps, consider taking one to two years of advanced undergraduate or bridging courses before applying (many schools will permit or even recommend this). Engineering and math majors often need fewer additional courses to reach readiness. Students from non-technical backgrounds should carefully evaluate how large a gap they are willing to close to reach their goal.

Use the two self-tests (the GRE practice and the school’s qualifying exams) as an honest, concrete measure of your readiness to begin graduate study in physics.