Programs What can I do with a Chemistry BS and a minor in Physics?

[Gabagool22]

Just to keep this from being a long post:
I went to a local CSU for Materials Science and Engineering in the fall of 2018 after graduating high school in the spring of 2018. I really like learning about everything that makes up the world around me, and why things are the way they are, and in what ways they can be altered to fit better situation/ serve different purposes. While I was satisfied with my degree choice, I really didn't like the school I was in. So, I transferred from my CSU to another CSU, and the new school didn't offer an MSE course (the reason I didn't go here in the first place even though I knew I liked this school more). Knowing that I like Chem (hadn't taken a Physics class at college yet), I decide to enroll as a Chem major and go from there.

After starting school in my new university in Fall 2019, I had grown further interested in the fundamental make up of particles and why they are the way they are. I wasn't totally into how molecules interact with each other and learning about bonds as much as I was interested in dissecting each part of the particles that I was learning about. I wanted to learn more about the protons, neutron, and electrons; As well as the things that make up those individual pieces, and then working on understanding those particles on a subatomic level. I love learning about the fundamental physics of the Universe, and trying to form reasoning for why it is the way it is, and again dissecting what is going on as far as I can in order to truly understand what is going on.

While being a Chem major in my new University, I chose to take an Astronomy class that would satisfy a GE, and I really enjoyed it, sadly I was unable to fit the next astronomy class into my schedule the following semester, and I haven't taken one since. I have also taken a physics course, along with a lab, and I think that both physics and chemistry lend a great deal into helping me form my understanding of the world around me. I am having trouble choosing exactly how to take these next steps into the latter half of my undergraduate experience with the goal of keeping as many doors open as I can until I can set a proper route for my schooling.

The question I have today revolves around what Physics degrees somebody with an extensive physics background might recommend to somebody with interests like me, and what kind of degree I could get as an undergraduate to satisfy the requirements for that field of study.

I am at a point in my degree where I can stop pursuing Chem classes and switch to physics without really messing up my path, and I would end up with a minor in Chemistry after completion of my first Ochem class this semester. I would like to know what to expect if I were to continue my Chemistry BS and possibly minor in physics. Could I potentially show that I know enough about science as a whole to get into a post grad (maybe particle physics) program without a Physics degree?? Or should I really just choose one or the other? I am extremely interested in Phsyics, Astronomy, and Chemistry as they all help form an understanding of the world that I live in, but I am having trouble trying to build myself a path for my success.

 

[scompi]

You should spend some more time thinking about what you want to pursue after your BS before making any further decisions. But, to me, it seems you want to pursue physics.

In my opinion (for what it's worth), if you change your mind later on, it's easier to be accepted to a chem masters with a physics major/chem minor than it would be to be accepted to a physics masters with a chem major/physics minor. Particle physics relies heavily on upper-level undergrad courses that probably wouldn't be a part of a minor.