Physics After Engineering

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Sarangi Gaurab K
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2005 3:52 am

Physics After Engineering

Post by Sarangi Gaurab K » Mon Jul 04, 2005 12:43 am

Hey guys,

I have done my Engineering (Bachelor of Technology) in Electrical Engg. form National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India. (2003)
And now after a couple of years in Job, I want to pursue further education in Pure Physics, an MS course in that.

So guys how to go about it.... GRE, Phy GRE, TOEFL etc...

How to go about the preparation for the Phy GRE....

Icu
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2005 6:54 am

I am with you

Post by Icu » Wed Jul 13, 2005 9:26 pm

:D :D :D

Hi,

I took my btech from NIT caliclut. But I am preparing fot GRE, Subject gre in physics. I have barrons and kaplan for the general test. I really dont know how to prepare for the subject gre. I went through the problems the have given in the bulletin. I think I'll start with a few chapters from Halliday ad Resnik, Then Shaums series problems in electromagnetism, the smae series in Quantum mechanics. I found out that there is another book by Halliday and resnik in atoms, molecules....
I believe I can finnish all these things before november.

bye
sree

Sarangi Gaurab K
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2005 3:52 am

Great to see someone trodding the same path

Post by Sarangi Gaurab K » Thu Jul 14, 2005 12:55 am

Hi Sree,

Good to hear from you. I too have started prep with Resnick, Halliday (the edition with Walker), and using Concepts of Modern Physics by Arthur Beiser. The Sub-GRE course is not to hard and can be covered in 4 months hopefully.
Bye the way there is another forum a yahoo group called 'physicsgre'..
the link is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/physicsgre/join
join the group and there are more guys like us, most of the members being Indian. More over they have lots of useful resourses in their database.
By the way when did you pass out of your college? what are your branch?
Send your mail id to me and we won't have to hassle around with this forum..
mine is g.k.sarangi@gmail.com

So long
Gaurav

sumanganguli
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Apr 22, 2006 8:52 am

physics after engineering

Post by sumanganguli » Thu May 04, 2006 5:11 am

Hi ,
I have done my engineering in ECE and curently working as an SAP consultant . I am doing this job because of some unavoidable circumstances. In my third year only i have planned to shift to physics . But i have heard that most of the universities dont consider engineering students for graduate physics study . Please let me know how should i approach .

bappai_102
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:13 am

hi

Post by bappai_102 » Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:49 am

wrong post
Last edited by bappai_102 on Tue Jan 26, 2010 9:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

prat
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:26 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by prat » Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:11 am

hi!
all you guys , what happened? were you successful in your switch to physics? i am trying to switch too. I am a BE comps NIT Surathkal. pls let me know anything relevant .

cheers
prat

marten
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:21 am

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by marten » Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:08 pm

Sarangi, Icu, Sumanganguli, Bappai, and Prat,

I'd be very interested in hearing your experiences also. Although I'm a domestic student (and not an international like you), there just isn't much information or personal accounts from people who have made the jump from engineering to physics. I have a BSE and I've applied to physics PhD programs, so soon we'll know if I've been accepted anywhere.

How are your plans going?

Marten

prat
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:26 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by prat » Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:57 am

I've just apped. Waiting for admits. Why dont you join the physicsgre@yahoogroups.com group? Lots of discussion just happened there.

Prat

prat
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:26 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by prat » Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:37 am

Hey !

I've been admitted to the Engineering Physics MS program at UVirginia.

marten
Posts: 134
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:21 am

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by marten » Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:20 am

Hey, congratulations prat! Do you know if you're getting funded yet?

prat
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:26 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by prat » Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:24 am

I've a very good feeling that not much is gonna come through as funding. But, I'm hoping I'll get something though. But its not a very expensive college. Or is it? $21K per year.

User avatar
butsurigakusha
Posts: 293
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:05 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by butsurigakusha » Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:08 pm

In my opinion, $21K per year for tuition is very expensive.

prat
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:26 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by prat » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:06 pm

then what is reasonable? How much state colls charge, is it?

i wonder what you'd think of $35k then! RPI .. whats your opinion on RPI?

User avatar
butsurigakusha
Posts: 293
Joined: Sun Oct 07, 2007 8:05 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by butsurigakusha » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:16 pm

That's probably pretty typical for out-of-state tuition at public schools. But it's still too expensive for my taste. If I had to fork out that kind of money for grad school, I would seriously reconsider going. But, if you don't have a problem paying tuition, then by all means, go ahead.

prat
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:26 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by prat » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:25 pm

I certainly do have a problem with paying that much. I'm applying for assistanships there. Hopefully will get them.

But generally, how's Rensselaer as an engineering school? I've been admitted at U Virginia too, and I'm trying to decided b/w the two.

excel
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 2:33 am

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by excel » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:41 pm

By the way, I recently visited U. Virginia.

I found Charlottesville to be a quaint little town with its own little airport. Much of the town's activity happens at U. Virginia. It is a very large university with ~20K students or something like that. I found the main part of the university (the Rotunda and the Lawn) to be quite beautiful...mostly, a nice campus, I think. Quite safe, especially now that the town rapist has recently been caught .(When pressed on safety issues, everyone there talked about the town rapist who is now behind bars). There is not a whole lot to do in the town, but it is a nice place to hike etc. if you are that kind of person.

There is lot of housing near the campus. A grad student told me that he pays $ 600 per month for a 2-person townhouse. Food places, groceries etc etc. are all there within good distance, and students can take advantage of the frequent free buses to get around the place...

prat
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:26 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by prat » Thu Mar 20, 2008 3:53 pm

excel wrote:By the way, I recently visited U. Virginia.
I found Charlottesville to be a quaint little town with its own little airport. Much of the town's activity happens at U. Virginia. It is a very large university with ~20K students or something like that.
Isn't it better to be in a smaller program, where you get more "attention" ?
excel wrote: I found the main part of the university (the Rotunda and the Lawn) to be quite beautiful...mostly, a nice campus, I think.
I like beautiful, but what I really want to know is about Rensselaer's and UVirginia's reputations. Which would be a better place to learn, which would be a place where you'll definitely do some good research. I know its all up to you n all that .. but still .

Comparison, really. I know it gets pretty frozen at Troy. But, there's skiing and snowboarding :D and NY's just 2.5 hrs away :D . And I discovered RPI has a Kung Fu club..( big fan! always wanted to learn :P )
excel wrote: Quite safe, especially now that the town rapist has recently been caught .(When pressed on safety issues, everyone there talked about the town rapist who is now behind bars).
Well... now that bit of info makes it really shady!
excel wrote: There is lot of housing near the campus. A grad student told me that he pays $ 600 per month for a 2-person townhouse. Food places, groceries etc etc. are all there within good distance, and students can take advantage of the frequent free buses to get around the place...
Troy's pretty cheap too, that way.

excel
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue Feb 19, 2008 2:33 am

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by excel » Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:09 pm

For grad schools, there is no simple relation between the size of the university and the attention you will receive. It may depend more on the research group you join. I do not know abt their physics program specifically. I visited a different department where most faculty members seemed to have like 4-5 grad students, which is quite alright, I think.

In terms of reputation, I think both RPI and U. Virginia are roughly like top 20 but not top 10. Among public univ., U.S. News ranks U. Virginia at #2 right behind UC Berkeley...dont know how good this ranking is for grad studies etc etc...just giving you an idea. My department at U. Virginia is ranked top 15 overall and one of the strongest in my subarea.

Well, I think it is a very safe place. :lol:

By the way, I am not advocating U. Virginia to you, only giving you a sense of the impression I formed during my recent visit. Ultimately, it is upto you...and also the matter of which univ givees you funding!

prat
Posts: 19
Joined: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:26 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by prat » Thu Mar 20, 2008 4:36 pm

yes! funding.

UVa is an MS ( Engg Phy )
RPI is a PhD ( Multidisciplinary Sc .. yes yes .. i know .. mul sc .. "what's that???!"..sigh)

so.. its almost obvious , which would be the choice .. lesseee

collectedsoul
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2008 11:04 pm

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by collectedsoul » Thu Jul 03, 2008 7:57 pm

prat wrote:I've a very good feeling that not much is gonna come through as funding. But, I'm hoping I'll get something though. But its not a very expensive college. Or is it? $21K per year.
Isn't the tuition waived for all Ph.D. programs in the US?

sumit.agarwal3
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:46 am

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by sumit.agarwal3 » Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:13 am

Hi Friends,
I am a software engineer working in Mumbai, India. I have done my under graduation in computer science in India. With my 1.5 years of IT experience, I have realized that I would like to pursue my graduation and even PHD in physics. I wanted to know about the challenges that I would face in doing so, as for the last 5 years I have been associated with computer engineering and have not been remotely associated with physics. Theory of relativity and quantum mechanics have always excited me, and I would like to pursue a study on the same. Please let me know if its possible for a software professional to get into physics. If yes, then what should be my immediate steps. Should I take GRE or the subject GRE. I just needed some sort of a guidance from you for the next 6 months or which would help me improve myself to the extent that I can work in physics. Keenly awaiting your guidance.
Thanks.

dushyanth
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2017 10:10 am

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by dushyanth » Fri Mar 30, 2018 7:35 am

Yes you can, Check this to see all possible ways you can do that

http://physicsafterengineering.blogspot ... ering.html

dushyanth
Posts: 4
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2017 10:10 am

Re: Physics After Engineering

Post by dushyanth » Sun Apr 22, 2018 1:34 am

All the info below is from the blog http://physicsafterengineering.blogspot.in. visit it for updated info about this post there other info that might be useful for engineers looking to switch to physics.

These are the major ways in India for doing Msc or integrated Ph.D.(or direct Ph.D. in some cases) in physics after engineering. [Note: Details about Distance MSc physics degree for B.E/B.Tech holders are at the bottom part of the post.]
JAM
Opportunities abroad (Physics GRE, General GRE, IELTS and TOFEL etc)
JEST

TIFR GS(Integrated Ph.D. paper)
University entrance tests.
MS by research programs
TIFR Hyderabad
GATE
CSIR NET
Distance Programs
You can check details about exams in this page Exam and Probable Dates
The three exams JEST, GATE, and NET have syllabus of Msc+Bsc. All other mentioned above are conducted on Bsc level syllabus and are easier for us Engineers(B.Tech or B.E) with less physics background to crack.
JAM exam: This is conducted by IITs as an entrance test to Msc and integrated Ph.D. in IITs and IISC. Also, some IISERs take jam rankers to integrated Ph.D. This is the best of all options for slow learners. For those who can't spend a year preparing for entrance tests, this will be a boon. Even if you prepare perfectly only up to 12th class level physics, you can get a rank under 500 easily. So, even if you are preparing for JEST, I strongly recommend keeping this as a backup option at least.
Caution: IITs and IISERs ask for 2 years of physics related subjects in bachelors as compulsory for JAM rankers. I heard that mechanical guys may not meet these criteria. To confirm if you will meet the eligibility criteria, mail those institutes and inquire. I think IIT Kanpur and Bombay give an exception.
TIFR GS: TIFR is one of the elite research institutes in India if not the best. Even better than IISC as far as physics is concerned. If you opt for integrated Ph.D. paper, Your questions will be from Bsc syllabus but the no.of questions will be less and look for your deep understanding of a concept. Very few people get selected this way. The interviews will also be very thought-provoking. You need to be very strong with your fundamentals. All TIFR institutes will take students through this.
Opportunities Abroad (Physics GRE, General GRE, IELTS and TOFEL etc): I personally feel if you can fund yourself, then this is the best of all the options mentioned. Because switching career is very easy thing abroad and the opportunities you have there are numerous and the research happening even in the mediocre colleges there is comparable to good colleges here. General GRE with a combination of TOFEL or IELTS is necessary for the USA and Physics GRE is recommended. As for the European countries, only IELTS is enough (Sending GRE scores might add to your profile but is not mandatory). The tuition fee is zero in some countries like Italy and Germany.
Refer to this answer for Physics GRE preparation
Physics GRE Discussion Forums this might be helpful
TIFR Hyderabad: If you have a score above 480 GATE score in any stream you can apply for this. This is a program designed specifically for interdisciplinary and B.tech graduates. It may definitely not be as good as the main campus of TIFR but still, it is one of the very good institutes in India.
Universities entrance tests: I've strenuously searched eligibility criteria of at least a 50 to 100 major colleges and universities and of all those, some of which I found to give admits to B.tech grads in Msc physics are
JNU ( application starts in early September itself be watchful)
IUCAA INAT exam (even this application comes out in September )
Delhi University
Pune University
University of Hyderabad
Utkal University
The Central University of Haryana and Central University of Rajasthan ( they have a common entrance test CUCET. I'm not sure how good these two institutes are..do your own research)
MS by research: some institutes and IITs offer MS by research programmes. IISER Kolkatta offers one in space research. If you happen to be interested in that specific field of research then it would be a boon to you.
JEST: It is an exam conducted on Msc level syllabus and is accepted by almost all elite research institutes (check the JEST website) A good rank in JEST can get you into research-oriented institutes which JAM can’t offer.
The reason I have put JEST so low on the list despite it being accepted in research institutes is:
All most all of the institutes(HRI is the only exception I know of) that take through jest, offer integrated Ph.D. only. It’s not suggested to leave in the middle with a Master degree. If you have any dreams of going abroad or to go to better institutes, you can’t achieve them. But if you do MSc or Ms through JAM or other good Universities and build up your profile, You can pursue Ph.D. in much better institutes in India or abroad. But keep in mind that MSc in IITs may not give you research experience as much as these research institutes do.
Its syllabus is vast and some may feel difficulty in cracking it with one-year preparation (not impossible though). I personally do know people who cracked JEST with 1-year preparation.
GATE and NET: B.tech/B.E grads are eligible to write GATE and NET but they are not quite relevant for engineers looking to do M.sc.
Other exams for some institutes like CMI also accept B.Tech/B.E grads for both integrated and direct Ph.D., check their websites and also ensure you meet all their eligibility criteria.
You may also refer this answer for some more information
Distance programs

For those who are working and can't afford to leave the job to prepare for exams, this will be a boon.
From what I've heard, many engineers start teaching in some coaching institute for 12th class or JEE and parallelly do MSc in distance. This way you'd be earning, doing masters and most importantly you'll be working in a physics-related field and so your basics in physics will be strong. But again I'm not sure if the non-regular nature this degree might affect your chances of getting Ph.D. While I believe the elite institutes do not bother much about your educational background, all that matters is your interview, I'm still ambivalent about this. If any reader could collect information regarding this and share it with us, it'd be really useful.
These are the open universities that I know of to give admission to MSc Physics course for Engineering Grads:
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University (Link)
Kuvempu University
NIMS University
also, check about the validity of those degrees.
Source:
http://physicsafterengineering.blogspot.in



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