Can a Mechanical Engineer Pursue a PhD in Physics in the US?

[gyro555in]

I graduated with a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering (2009) from India(One of Premier Engineering Institutes in India).Since I am very interested in Physics I want to pursue Ph.D in Physics, I have taken a year off to get more exposure in Physics and currently I am researching on Soft matter Physics at One of Premier Research Institutes in India (will be working till July 2010). I am giving Subject GRE(Physics) this November(Confident of getting a good score). I am also doing a course on Theoretical/Mathematical Physics and Certificate Course on AstroPhysics during the weekends.Although during my Engineering I couldn't take Physics Courses(although Mechanical Engineering is perhaps the closest to Physics amongst all Engineering Streams I reckon),I have taken plenty of math courses. Besides this I have plenty of Research & Design Experience in the field of Engineering.
I was wondering whether I can Directly apply for a Ph.D (Physics) in United States(depends on whether i am eligible and availability of funding) or to apply for a MS in Physics(not sure whether International Students are Funded) and then go for a PhD.

This is my first post..Pls Guide me...

 

[mal4mac]

Have you considered the UK? You can take an MSc "conversion courses" in physics, e.g., the University of Sussex has such a course. You might find the Indian system closer to the UK system, which could mean doing one year rather than two! You might also get a Commonwealth grant, check out UK university web sites and the British Council website for details. If applying i would get an English person to look at your CV/cover letter. Your English is obviously good but may you have "Indianisms" which could lead to mis-understanding. (This advice also goes to Americans applying to UK universities and vice versa!) For instance, "I am giving Subject GRE(Physics) this November" reads as "I will be teaching Physics GRE this November" to me! But the context indicates that you mean "I will be taking the GRE Physics exam this Novemeber".

 

[gyro555in]

@mal4mac...Thanks for the post.UK is kind of expensive though,Don't know about scholarships given to Indians(quite less I guess).More interested in US..lot of flexibility..I was also wondering if Germany is a good option..The context may mean a different sense as you have indicated earlier..People will get used to it eventually.