Physics Degree Vs Engineering Degree

I hear some banter about engineers being stupid compared to physicists. Is physics really that much harder than engineering? I know the opinions of others shouldn't really count but I'm just interested in this.

This question comes up very frequently on the internet, and the answer usually boils down to this:

If you want to work as an engineer, then you've really got to study engineering. Otherwise, it doesn't particularly matter.

Engineering is also likely your best bet of actually getting to use physics in the "real world", as part of your job. The amount of engineering jobs vastly outnumber the amount of physicist jobs. A lot of physics graduates end up working in other areas, such as finance, IT, teaching and the like, whereas the majority of engineering graduates go on to become engineers upon graduation.

That definitely pushes me closer to engineering then. I've looked around the internet and there are a few differing opinions. It appears that physics degrees are more for those who don't know what to do and to keep their options open. If I did a physics degree, I think it would be likely that I would follow the engineering route as becoming a physicist isn't so simple.

What kind of general engineering courses are available. I heard that at Cambridge, you just enter engineering for the first year or two before you specialise. Where else can you get this since I would like a taste of the different disciplines. I think a broader knowledge about the subject would help in the future.

Huy guys,

I'm currently in year 12 studying maths, physics, economics and ICT. I've been thinking about what is the best path to follow for my degree. I've been unsure as the whether to look more towards engineering or physics.

Engineering seems to offer good opportunities as there are loads of jobs available, plus you can switch between some of the difference disciplines if you've had enough of the one you're doing. Its likely that an you won't need to for too long to get a pretty good job. This is the direction that my parents have pushed me towards. Anytime I say to anyone that "I'm considering physics or engineering at university", they always seem to ignore the suggestion of physics and talk to me about engineering instead. Is engineering more prestigious/interesing?

Physics, meanwhile, looks like it could be great fun - particularly areas like astrophysics and particle physics. The issue for me is where would I go once I've done a degree in these areas? A job here seems less likely as it is quite a niche profession. I know that I'd love the subject but I'm not certain that it would give me such good career prospects.

For my career, I really don't want to do a 'regular' job. I'd like something where I can create, innovate and achieve new things, plus impress people when I tell them about my job. Working at CERN or ESA seems like my dream job but it will inevitably be really difficult to get in there. Sometimes I doubt whether I have what it takes to make it in such a profession but I do think ambitiously and I will work hard to get there.

Also, I was just interested in opinions on physicists and engineers. I hear some banter about engineers being stupid compared to physicists. Is physics really that much harder than engineering? I know the opinions of others shouldn't really count but I'm just interested in this.

Have you considered taking further maths.

I am considering it, yes. Definitely going to drop ICT next year. I'd like to pick up further maths but I'm still a bit concerned whether doing it may hurt my results in my other subjects especially as the exams appear to getting harder.

You do realise that exams getting harder will not affect your grades as the grade boundaries over all will fall, also every year ever has said that. If you dont take further maths it will probably hurt you if you are considering engineering or physics as they amongst the most mathematically demanding subjects at university after mathematics.

Very true that. Was put off a bit after the FP1 exam where even the best mathematicians said that they really struggle with it. I suppose that I need to be able to handle it at this level if I want to succeed at university. I know that I'll certainly enjoy doing it.

What will the universities think if I have no further maths? Will they want higher grades in the other subjects?

Huy guys,

I'm currently in year 12 studying maths, physics, economics and ICT. I've been thinking about what is the best path to follow for my degree. I've been unsure as the whether to look more towards engineering or physics.

Engineering seems to offer good opportunities as there are loads of jobs available, plus you can switch between some of the difference disciplines if you've had enough of the one you're doing. Its likely that an you won't need to for too long to get a pretty good job. This is the direction that my parents have pushed me towards. Anytime I say to anyone that "I'm considering physics or engineering at university", they always seem to ignore the suggestion of physics and talk to me about engineering instead. Is engineering more prestigious/interesing?

Physics, meanwhile, looks like it could be great fun - particularly areas like astrophysics and particle physics. The issue for me is where would I go once I've done a degree in these areas? A job here seems less likely as it is quite a niche profession. I know that I'd love the subject but I'm not certain that it would give me such good career prospects.

For my career, I really don't want to do a 'regular' job. I'd like something where I can create, innovate and achieve new things, plus impress people when I tell them about my job. Working at CERN or ESA seems like my dream job but it will inevitably be really difficult to get in there. Sometimes I doubt whether I have what it takes to make it in such a profession but I do think ambitiously and I will work hard to get there.

Also, I was just interested in opinions on physicists and engineers. I hear some banter about engineers being stupid compared to physicists. Is physics really that much harder than engineering? I know the opinions of others shouldn't really count but I'm just interested in this.

The top universities although do not require it expect it of you. I self taught further maths for half a year in AS till I joined the school's classes because I recognised it would be necessary for a strong application for physics which is what I wanted to do. Now hold offers to study maths, that is how much I enjoyed it. FP1 is really not that hard at all, it is somewhere in between C2 and C3 difficulty, closer to C2.

Hi

I'm in year 13 and went through exactly the same decision making and thought process as you, torn between physics and engineering. I study physics, maths, further maths and design&technology.
I held offers from Oxford, Imperial College, Durham, Bristol & Bath. These were a mixture of offers for mechanical engineering at Imperial, Bath and Bristol, and general engineering at Oxford and Durham. I have made Oxford my firm and Bristol my insurance.
In order to come to a decision, I went on taster days and the subject masterclasses at Cambridge. Since engineering is not a taught subject you should really try and do some research, perhaps look into any public lectures surrounding engineering at local universities to really get a feel for what it is like, and the same for physics if you can.

After attending both the physics and engineering masterclasses at cambridge I came to the conclusion that I wanted to pursue engineering as it used combined physics and maths into working designs and gave a purpose to all the calculations you do. I'd also suggest looking at these taster courses http://tasters.gradsintocareers.co.uk/ as I went to one at Queen Mary about engineering and it really confirmed my decision about wanting to do engineering and made me excited for it.

Both options will lead you into great careers and are similar in many aspects but the most important thing in all of this is what will you enjoy for 3/4 years. Look at course modules and what is common at universities to help you decide to.

Good luck!

A friend of mine has been teaching me some FP1 and it seems really enjoyable. I didn't find it too difficult but we've not covered much of it. Most people say that its more like C3/C4 in terms of difficulty. I heard that the exam this year was much harder than normal, however.

If I get a bad grade in it, will it have a negative impact on my applications? I shouldn't be too bad at it since I've only been lower than a B once before in every exam that I've done. Learning some stuff over the summer should help, plus the greater depth of knowledge can only help my maths.

A friend of mine has been teaching me some FP1 and it seems really enjoyable. I didn't find it too difficult but we've not covered much of it. Most people say that its more like C3/C4 in terms of difficulty. I heard that the exam this year was much harder than normal, however.

If I get a bad grade in it, will it have a negative impact on my applications? I shouldn't be too bad at it since I've only been lower than a B once before in every exam that I've done. Learning some stuff over the summer should help, plus the greater depth of knowledge can only help my maths.