Is mech engineering enough for grad school in physics?

[Headacheguy]

I'm planning to study physics for grad school, but my parents didn't let me take a BSc in Physics. I'm currently on my second year in mechanical engineering (5 yrs). As of now, I have no interest in engineering--no plans on working in that field.

I'm thinking whether I should switch majors to physics. In my university, however, we are not allowed to change majors after sophomore year. So this means I would need to transfer.

Transferring would waste my 2 years, most universities wouldn't take credit for most courses from other schools. Would it be worth it to transfer, or should I just finish my BSc in ME and then apply for MSc in Physics? (As far as I know, ME wouldn't suffice much for a solid foundation in physics)Edit: The physics program to which I'm planning to transfer to consists of 5 yrs. That means 7 yrs in undergrad O.O

 

[deluks917]

Is there no way to take the physics classes you need? Are you in the US? You need upper division classes is classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics. That's about 8-9 classes.

 

[Headacheguy]

Hey, thanks for the quick response. Unfortunately, I'm not from the US. Our curriculum is fixed. We can only take classes which are on the list.

We are never taking classical mechanics, E&M, and QM, we will be taking static of rigid bodies though. Is this the same as statistical mechanics?

 

[Jokerhelper]

Hey, thanks for the quick response. Unfortunately, I'm not from the US. Our curriculum is fixed. We can only take classes which are on the list.

We are never taking classical mechanics, E&M, and QM, we will be taking static of rigid bodies though. Is this the same as statistical mechanics?

Not at all; they're completely different. Don't let the similarity of the terms confuse you. Statics looks at systems in static equilibrium (ie. systems that don't accelerate, don't rotate). Statistical mechanics uses areas of probability and statistical methods to predict properties of systems with high number of particles in it.

 

[Headacheguy]

Thank you, Jokerhelper. So we're not going to have that either. Maybe I should just self-learn all this courses that I'm going to miss?

 

[Jokerhelper]

Thank you, Jokerhelper. So we're not going to have that either. Maybe I should just self-learn all this courses that I'm going to miss?

Frankly, you are missing a lot, so that would be quite challenging to achieve. Plus, even you were able to do so, you'd be missing out on lab experience and research work in physics, which are important for grad school.

I would suggest you look into some upper-level physics textbooks, and see if the material really interests you. Just make sure you are not having a case of the grass being greener on the other side.