Hi all, I'm currently an undergraduate going into my third year enrolled in a 3/2 dual degree physics/engineering program at a state school in Wisconsin. Engineering physics, or engineering science, refers to the study of the combined disciplines of physics, mathematics, biology, social science, and engineering, particularly computer, nuclear, electrical, electronic, aerospace, materials or mechanical engineering.By focusing on the scientific method as a rigorous basis, it seeks ways to apply, design, and develop new solutions in engineering. The engineering sector provides many careers in physics, particularly within manufacturing and technology-based roles. Once you get a Ph.D. in applied math, I think you are best prepared to expand into other fields, but you may have a lot of work to do and you may have more to prove. If you really like Physics and have a talent for it, but are concerned about giving yourself the best career flexibility and employment options, then do Electrical Engineering. My (Future) Life Career video project was funded by the eTech Ohio Commission, and produced by WOUB Public Media at Ohio University, Athens. Applied physics has better prospects in the job market than a reg. I'll soon be applying to university, and I'm hesitating between a physics degree and an engineering degree. Applied Physics at Harvard School of Engineering is at the intersection of physics and engineering. Modeling ways to predict weather. Are you worried that your friend might be a physics or engineering student? I would rank these subjects in terms of descending order of difficulty as, firstly, physics (hardest), then mathematics (second hardest, though still quite hard), and then engineering (easiest). Let's say that you will be conducting optimization methods applied to some engineering project. There comes a point in high level physics and engineering theory where the difficulty in understanding is more an obstacle of mathematics, rather than intuition. I think space instruments and other isolated, specialised exotic equipment are in fact often designed by physicists who've specialised in applied physics & instrumentation. Technical Electives: Technical electives must be upper-division engineering, math or physics courses. AE is more about designing the fuselage, engines and general systems engineering. The Department of Applied Physics offers qualified students with backgrounds in physics or engineering the opportunity to do graduate course work and research in the physics relevant to technical applications and natural phenomena. Applied Physics Degree Concentrations and … I've heard engineering physics is more like physics in that you need to get your master's/PhD to get a job, but it's like engineering in that you can get more industry jobs rather than just in teaching/research. For other engineering-related jobs, it really depends on the skill-set needed. Applied physicists take new phenomena and explore their uses. Getting an engineering job without an engineering degree is getting harder, at least in the USA. Physics is the study of matter, as well as its motion through space and time, and how it reacts with heat, light, electricity, and sound. If you don't have a passion for engineering don't do it. Applied physicists use physics or conduct physics research to develop new technologies or solve engineering problems. Applied physicists explore the phenomena that become the foundation of quantum and photonic devices and novel materials. 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