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Career in Engineering with a Theoretical Physics Degree?

This may have been answered (If so i am sorry) but I have been unable to find an answer.

Can I Pursue a career in Engineering with a Theoretical Physics Degree?

Reply 1

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by Andrew.G

This may have been answered (If so i am sorry) but I have been unable to find an answer.

Can I Pursue a career in Engineering with a Theoretical Physics Degree?

You'll find many positions generally request a relevant engineering degree at the minimum. It's not completely impossible, but a physics degree is a harder sell than a relevant engineering degree.

Reply 2

mik1a

Of course you can. If you're good.

Reply 3

Andrew.G

Original post by Smack

You'll find many positions generally request a relevant engineering degree at the minimum. It's not completely impossible, but a physics degree is a harder sell than a relevant engineering degree.

Ok, thank you!

Reply 4

AlesanaWill

I don't see why not, most of the skills learned in a physics degree (theoretical or experimental) are directly applicable to engineering, such as problem solving and a lot of the maths you have learned. If you've obtained a decent degree class, you've definitely got a good chance of going into engineering. Lots of physics graduates go down that path.

Reply 5

Joinedup

I'd listen to Smack

but IMO you'd have better chances in electronic design and software engineering which always seem to have a few physicists knocking around... more difficulty with mech, civil and chemical - also going to depend on the types of companies you apply to.

Reply 6

mik1a

Original post by Joinedup

I agree with chemical engineering, not much overlap with theoretical physics. Mechanical engineering would be fine.

Reply 7

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by mik1a

I agree with chemical engineering, not much overlap with theoretical physics. Mechanical engineering would be fine.

I don't think there is much, if any, overlap between theoretical physics and mechanical engineering either.

I agree with Joinedup that software and electronics would be the targets most likely to yield results. Software engineering in particular, as it seems to be open to students from any STEM background, although it's perhaps not what many have in mind when they mention engineering specifically.

OP may also want to consider advertising themselves as a physicist rather than a theoretical physicist.

Reply 8

mik1a

Original post by Smack

There is an overlap of the fundamentals with mechanical engineering, since a theoretical physics degree should still contain all the key mechanics/atomic physics that you get in a physics degree.

There would be some overlap with electrical engineering, but not nearly the same extent. In my experience physics and electrical engineering deviate much earlier, with physics focusing of vacuum equations and going down the path of electrodynamics that has little relation to most electrical engineering work.

Of course it totally depends on the degree course...

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 9

Smack

Volunteer Team

Original post by mik1a

If you consider classical mechanics to be the fundamentals of mechanical engineering, a physics degree probably will cover that. But engineering is all about application, and I daresay that the mechanics covered in physics has little relation to mechanical engineering work.

The OP asked about an engineering career, though, not about whether there is content overlap between the two degrees. Many engineering graduates are surprised to find out how little maths and physics they utilise on the job, with many going down career paths that never require them to actually perform calculations. Despite the divergences between physics and electrical/electronics engineering, it still seems to be that field that is most open to physics graduates.