Comscistudent said:
I certainly could, I'm just wondering if anybody with experience of a UK or Irish masters would have some feedback. Again I only have experience with the undergraduate course I completed but any Irish or UK site I've checked about degrees in general recommends a masters instead of a second undergrad degree. I couldn't find any about physics the closest matches were natural science and physics for medical devices. I genuinely appreciate the feedback everyone has provided so I think my plan for now is to check out the two recommended classical mechanics books, pick one and go through it then see where I am after that is complete
To expand on what Micromass said, and to give you an idea of why others think this is insane, at least as far as the US is concerned:
Typically students will need somewhere around the following level of competency based on textbook to move on to a graduate program:
Mechanics: Taylor/Marion
E&M: Griffiths
QM: Griffiths
Thermo: Cater (This is just what I used, I know others have strong feelings about this text)
Math: Bare minimum should be taking an ODE or PDE course, ideally, you should go through Mary Boas text prior to above.
General Chemistry (Important for Astrophysics, and just physics in general): Silberberg/Zumdahl - pick your poison.
These are just the core requirements that every physics degree in the US should hit. For the specialization you're trying to do a MS in, you're probably going need more than just a passing familiarity with GR, SR and certain topics in cosmology.
Obviously you don't start at any of these texts. You should go through K&K and Purcell as primers to both Griffiths/whatever you decide to use as a upper division mechanics text. If K&K and Purcell seem intimidating, you can go through go through a "mid-range" intro text like H&R physics, 5th edition. That alone could take you the better part of a year.
Obviously, the time frame you want to do this is in is impossible. Barring that you're some secret savant, most of the dead time in undergraduate studies is to give students a time to process the information they've learned and study topics more deeply. We literally spend a year on each of the E&M, QM, CM, and Thermo texts above alone. I don't know of anyone who has tried to do all 4 in the same year, to me it sounds like a bad dream. That is also assuming you have the background to get anything out of them already, which you don't.
But let's back this up a bit:
Comscistudent said:
Additionally it would open up support positions to me such as programming telescopes, developing astrophysical software tools and any number of other applications.
If this is the goal you have, you're already qualified for these positions. Getting a theory based degree in Astrophysics isn't going to help you. If this truly the case I would just look into masters programs for software engineering, or some kind of optical engineering degree at most. Friedmann models are going to look mightily esoteric if this is your goal.
Comscistudent said:
I've purchased two of Leonard Susskind's "The theoretical minimum" books which come with accompanying online lectures. Does anyone have positive feedback about these or should I not bother? I currently have classical mechanics and quantum mechanics
I wouldn't bother with these, and I wouldn't bother with Khan/MITOCW/Online videos in general.
Comscistudent said:
I certainly could, I'm just wondering if anybody with experience of a UK or Irish masters would have some feedback. Again I only have experience with the undergraduate course I completed but any Irish or UK site I've checked about degrees in general recommends a masters instead of a second undergrad degree. I couldn't find any about physics the closest matches were natural science and physics for medical devices. I genuinely appreciate the feedback everyone has provided so I think my plan for now is to check out the two recommended classical mechanics books, pick one and go through it then see where I am after that is complete
Summarizing, can you do it? Maybe. You can only control what you can control, and that's how much you know. You can't control whether admissions would admit you into their program and etc. Can you gain that knowledge in the time frame you're suggesting? Probably not. Can you do it faster than someone in a undergraduate degree program - maybe, maybe not.
This should apply somewhat to the UK as well, assuming they don't live in a bizarro world compared to the state of the US education system.