Engineering B.S. Degree in Engineering Physics?

[GreenPrint]

Hi,

I was wondering what kind of jobs are available to someone with such a degree. Could I pass as a mechanical or electrical engineer with such a degree even though I don't have a B.S. in mechanical or electrical engineering? I'm going to college and am currently signed up to go to school next year to earn such a degree and decided that degree over a B.S. in mechanical or electrical engineering because I wanted to take more physics classes over ethics and stuff of the sort that most schools require if you want to earn a B.S. in mechanical engineering like the school I will be attending. I ask this question because based I want to enjoy the classes that I take and do something I like for a living and saw the course requirements for B.S. degree in Engineering Physics, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering, and decided that I would have a much more enjoyable time earning a degree in Engineering Physics over the other two, although apparently I'm suppose to chose weather I want to focus on Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering as I start taking classes to earn my B.S. in Engineering Physics. Are the more jobs available to those who have a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering over Engineering Physics. I see advertisements all the time for Mechanical Engineers and Electrical Engineers but not a Physicists Engineer or whatever you want to call it =O, and those advertisements wanted degrees in mechanical engineering and so forth not engineering physics even though I will largely be focusing on either mechanical or electrical engineering.

Thanks for any advice or help!

 

[edgepflow]

This is a good question. I am generally a fan of the engineering physics degree.

But, there are some pragmatic things to consider. For entry level engineering jobs, you may be at a disadvantage due to the reasons you mentioned. In the world of electronic resume keyword searches, you may (or may not) be passed over.

On the other hand, this degree is an excellent foundation for graduate school and high level research in government or private industry. You could later return to graduate school and earn a masters in engineering physics.

So if your main goal is to compete on the job market and land a job after graduation, perhaps take the traditional mechanical or electrical engineering path. If, however, your goal is advanced degrees and a career in high level research, take the engineering physics path.

I finished a masters degree in mechanical engineering some years ago. Not a day goes by that I don't crave earning a masters degree in engineering physics.

 

[GreenPrint]

thank you very much for your advice =)
Does anyone have anything else that might be useful for me to know?

 

[MATLABdude]

The big thing: you mileage may vary. Some Engineering Physics / Science programs are more physics-y, some more engineer-y. Those that are more engineer-y may share more of their curricula with mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or even material / biomedical engineering. Usually, there is some built-in flexibility to allow you to shape your degree. In short, make sure you check over and understand the degree requirements.

You probably won't ever see an ad asking for engineering physics grads because of the idiosyncratic nature of engineering physics programs. However, you aren't necessarily excluded from a job, depending on the skillset that's required and your own experiences / inclination / skills.

If your program is anything like the Engineering Physics programs in Canada, most of your class will end up doing graduate work in various fields. However, much as with graduate studies in general, most will not end up in academia.

 

[fss]

I'm still waiting for an explanation of why Engineering Physics is "better" than either an engineering program or a physics program.

 

[edgepflow]

I'm still waiting for an explanation of why Engineering Physics is "better" than either an engineering program or a physics program.

I don't think and engineering physics degree is better or worse than either physics or engineering. It depends on your interests and goals. I think the basic theme of an engineering physics degree is an engineering career that is most heavily rooted in physics.

 

[GreenPrint]

What kind of employment opportunities would be available to me after I received a bachelor's of science degree in Engineering Physics (Electrical Engineering), I'm going to be focusing on Electrical Engineering and guess that's the full title of the degree, my school also offers degrees in Engineering Physics (Mechanical Engineering), Engineering Physics (Material Engineering).

I do not want to come out of college and not be able to find employment at all, but at the same time I want to enjoy the courses that I'm paying a lot of money for and so forth, and from looking at the course requirements for Electrical Engineering and Engineering Physics (Electrical Engineering) I would conclude that my interests would cater to the Engineering Physics Degree, as I wouldn't have to waste time in classes like ethics and so forth. Would I be able to get a job as a electrical engineer? If not what kind of employment opportunities are there for such a degree?

I don't mind going to graduate school but I was hoping to start off my career after receiving my BS and pay off my college debts than maybe go back to school and have my employer pay for my master's degree if I really needed it...

I'm just scared I'm going to come out of college with a BS in Engineering Physics (Electrical Engineering) and not find employment and will have no way to pay off my college debts and have to declare bankruptcy... I'm at a lost as to what to do... switch over to electrical engineering or not?

 

[DrummingAtom]

I agree with what fss said. I was interested in an Engineering Physics degree too and was also torn between two schools. Each school had E.P. degree was very different. One was a Physics degree with (no joke) 3 engineering classes and the other was almost 50/50 in classes of physics and engineering.

Why not do an area within your desired engineering field that involves a lot of physics? Then you can do one of the big engineering majors and be required to know some more about physics. So if you don't get into your desired field then you can fall back on other engineering jobs that don't use any physics at all.