Posted by: fortunefaded October 15, 2009
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ironskull,
It's possible to change your field from sciences to engineering but it's quite tough to do so and like bored said, you would have to be exceptional. As a physics major you probably haven't taken core mech eng classes like heat transfer, control theory, material sciences, fluid dynamics, design etc. Also, engineers use a variety of design tools like 3D CAD software, system simulators, MatLab....Without taking some of these undergrad courses, it will be very hard to do well in your graduate classes.
I had a friend who did dual degree on Physics and Mechanical Engineering. He said even the courses that overlap (like thermodynamics are very different when you take them in physics vs. engineering). Since he didn't find MechE exciting enough, he ended up going for a PhD in physics.
If I may ask, why do you want to switch from Physics to MechE? My suggestion is to apply to Physics program as well.
It's possible to change your field from sciences to engineering but it's quite tough to do so and like bored said, you would have to be exceptional. As a physics major you probably haven't taken core mech eng classes like heat transfer, control theory, material sciences, fluid dynamics, design etc. Also, engineers use a variety of design tools like 3D CAD software, system simulators, MatLab....Without taking some of these undergrad courses, it will be very hard to do well in your graduate classes.
I had a friend who did dual degree on Physics and Mechanical Engineering. He said even the courses that overlap (like thermodynamics are very different when you take them in physics vs. engineering). Since he didn't find MechE exciting enough, he ended up going for a PhD in physics.
If I may ask, why do you want to switch from Physics to MechE? My suggestion is to apply to Physics program as well.