Changing major from Engineering to Physics

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Eudsx
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu May 20, 2021 10:47 am

Changing major from Engineering to Physics

Post by Eudsx » Thu May 20, 2021 10:55 am

Hi!
Currently, I'm an Engineering student and I would like to continue with Physics, and I have to take the GRE subject exam next year.

I want to get a direct PhD admission and I need to learn the things that I'm expected to learn in a one year period.
I'm not really sure which books I should start with and which books to read to get prepared for GRE exam (NO prior Physics study experience though, I should start with fundamentals!)

I guess my academic resume is not that bad to be ignored right away (Cumulative GPA 3.8 / 4.0) so I have to try my best.

Could you please help me with the study materials that I should consider for studying in a one year period? I'm stuck.

Since my major is not Physics, I need to get +900 to be considered as a qualified applicant for the grad colleges in the US.

geekusprimus
Posts: 143
Joined: Sat Jun 08, 2019 1:10 pm

Re: Changing major from Engineering to Physics

Post by geekusprimus » Sat May 22, 2021 6:19 pm

Standard subjects you need to know for grad school admission at most universities:
  • Classical mechanics at the level of Taylor or Thornton and Marion or a similar text
  • Electricity and magnetism at the level of Griffiths or a similar text
  • Quantum mechanics at the level of Griffiths, Shankar, McIntyre, or a similar text
  • Thermal physics at the level of Schroeder or a similar text
It depends on the specific university, but often the admissions committee wants to see these sorts of courses on your transcript. If your physics GRE scores are good, some schools might waive that requirement or let you take some sort of a placement test, but I'd say that's the exception, not the rule.



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