Programs Is a Master's in Physics Valuable for an Engineering Career?

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Pursuing a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering (EE) is generally viewed as more beneficial for industry careers than a Master's in Physics, particularly for those interested in engineering roles. While a focus on Solid State or Condensed Matter is appealing, an Applied Physics degree may not provide significant advantages in job prospects. Some participants suggest that a PhD may be necessary for serious research opportunities in condensed matter. It is also recommended to find an EE program that includes materials research to enhance practical experience. Overall, an EE master's is considered more recognizable and valuable to employers in the engineering sector.
wesley7777
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I am a electrical engineering major, about to enter my junior year. I really want to go after a master's degree with a focus on Solid State. But I have been getting interested in Condensed Matter. My question is would a Master's degree in Physics really be worth anything? I want to work in industry as an engineer/researcher and not at a university. I am just worried that getting a Master's in Physics would not be as useful as a Master's in EE. What is your opinion on this?
Thanks so much
Chris
 
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IMO, an engineering MS is 'worth more' than a physics MS to industry. 'Worth more' may be a bad choice of words- 'more recognizable' is closer.
 
Andy Resnick said:
IMO, an engineering MS is 'worth more' than a physics MS to industry. 'Worth more' may be a bad choice of words- 'more recognizable' is closer.

That is kind of what i thought. I was thinking I might do Applied Physics in either solid state or nanotechnology and i think i am drawn more to the physics side than the engineering side. Anyone else have a opinion?
 
I wouldn't think a MS in applied physics will get you that far either. If you really want to work in condensed matter I suggest you go for a PhD.
 
I know a couple of students in my department who failed the PhD qualifier and had to settle for MS degrees in condensed matter. One is about to graduate, and has no job offers yet. The other graduated almost a year ago...as far as I heard he still has no offers. I guess you may be better off with the EE MS.
 
Note: At some institutions you can do work in condensed matter through an EE program. I knew some EE students who worked in an NSF materials research center at their institution.

My tips:
1) Find a university that has some EE faculty that do materials work.
2) Make sure the program offered requires a thesis masters so you actually do some of this work in the process of getting your degree.
3) Of course to get into any real research at all, you'd have to go the Ph.D. route.

I do concur with other posters in this thread... an EE master's would be more recognizable to employers than a physics masters.
 

Thread 'Self Learning Math/Physics'

Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
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Thread 'What should I do if I found a paper with same result as mine?'

Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...
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