Where do I start in my career for physics?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on a U.S. Marine seeking advice on pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics while serving. The main points include the difficulty of finding an online physics degree and the recommendation to focus on completing general education (GE) requirements online, such as English, social sciences, and mathematics, using Tuition Assistance (TA). It's advised to avoid using the GI Bill while still in service to preserve it for future university attendance. The importance of a solid foundation in mathematics, particularly algebra and trigonometry, is emphasized before tackling calculus. Additionally, there is a suggestion to explore local community college options, like Palomar Community College, for in-person classes that align with the California UC system. The overall consensus is to prioritize GE courses now and save physics studies for after military service to ensure better focus and success.
JakubZera
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Good Morning everyone and thanks for taking the time to look at (and hopefully) reply to my thread!

I am a US marine and my only choices of colleges are currently online. I have almost 4 years left on my contract (out of 6) so I defintely want to get a head start in my dream of being a quantum physicst.

I've searched google for hours but I rather ask real people with real experience

My questions are these;
Is there anyway to receive a bachelor's degree in physics online?
IF NOT
What degrees should I start going into to jump start me acquiring a physics degree?
ie; mathmetics, energy, etc

Sources and suggestions are greatly appreciated

Thanks again!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I don't know of any physics bachelor's online, but the lower division math classes you can do online. How much math have you taken? You'll need a solid understanding of algebra and trig before you start calculus.
 
Do yourself a favor, and something I wished I would have done while I was enlisted and knock out as many GE requirements as possible with TA. Do not under any circumstance use your GI bill while in the service, you're going to want that when you go to university after your tour. English, social sciences, remedial math, humanities and arts are all classes you can do online, hopefully with TA.

Are you at Camp Pendleton? If so you can also talk to your chain of command about enrolling in Palomar Community College, they have some kind of deal worked out with them to make using TA and attending in person classes easier. That’s if your command is kosher with it of course. If you can do that, then you will also know that the classes you’ve completed are articulated with the California UC system.

Save the physics for after you’re done, so you can really focus on it and just knock out all those GE requirements so you can smoothly get out and get into university without too much of a headache.
 
Student100 said:
Do yourself a favor, and something I wished I would have done while I was enlisted and knock out as many GE requirements as possible with TA. Do not under any circumstance use your GI bill while in the service, you're going to want that when you go to university after your tour. English, social sciences, remedial math, humanities and arts are all classes you can do online, hopefully with TA.

Are you at Camp Pendleton? If so you can also talk to your chain of command about enrolling in Palomar Community College, they have some kind of deal worked out with them to make using TA and attending in person classes easier. That’s if your command is kosher with it of course. If you can do that, then you will also know that the classes you’ve completed are articulated with the California UC system.

Save the physics for after you’re done, so you can really focus on it and just knock out all those GE requirements so you can smoothly get out and get into university without too much of a headache.

No I am overseas at the moment in the Americas
I'll defintely take General Studies adhering to physics! Thanks a lot! it feels good to start it
 
After a year of thought, I decided to adjust my ratio for applying the US/EU(+UK) schools. I mostly focused on the US schools before, but things are getting complex and I found out that Europe is also a good place to study. I found some institutes that have professors with similar interests. But gaining the information is much harder than US schools (like you have to contact professors in advance etc). For your information, I have B.S. in engineering (low GPA: 3.2/4.0) in Asia - one SCI...
I graduated with a BSc in Physics in 2020. Since there were limited opportunities in my country (mostly teaching), I decided to improve my programming skills and began working in IT, first as a software engineer and later as a quality assurance engineer, where I’ve now spent about 3 years. While this career path has provided financial stability, I’ve realized that my excitement and passion aren’t really there, unlike what I felt when studying or doing research in physics. Working in IT...
Hello, I’m an undergraduate student pursuing degrees in both computer science and physics. I was wondering if anyone here has graduated with these degrees and applied to a physics graduate program. I’m curious about how graduate programs evaluated your applications. In addition, if I’m interested in doing research in quantum fields related to materials or computational physics, what kinds of undergraduate research experiences would be most valuable?

Similar threads

Back
Top