Graduate Definition and 1000 Threads

I am currently looking to pursue a master's degree in physics - stand alone or integrated with a PhD program. I have a master's degree in mechanical engineering and want to make the switch to physics - with an interest in quantum mechanics, particle physics and string theory. As you can imagine...

Does anyone have advice or tips for American students wishing to pursue a PhD abroad? Background: I graduated with my BS in 2012 in aeronautical engineering. My major GPA was a 3.7(5?) but my cumulative was a 3.44. I briefly attended graduate school from 2012 to 2013, but left due to funding...

Hi all, I have heard from different people about the interview for physics graduate school (before the admission). Some say there won't be interviews, while some say otherwise. Anyone can confirm this?

Good day, forum. Last year I finished my bachelor in physics, and due to a mess-up on my behalf, I could not begin on my masters degree at once. This has given me a one-year pause which I spend working, and most importantly, thinking about what I wish to do from now on. I've come to realize that...

Hey all, I am currently a freshman double majoring in Physics and Math at Purdue University. I have been recently creating a schedule that orders all of the courses I need to take and those that I want to take for the rest of my undergraduate endeavors. I know that it's rather early to do...

So I am currently an undergrad student working on a BS of EE. I ultimately want to get a masters degree in biomedical engineering from a certain school. I currently lack work experience in engineering. I would like to find a job dealing with electrical equipment in a hospital or some medical...

I have been dating a girl for quite a while, we are both on our 2nd year of college majoring in maths. The other day while we were talking about ourselves I mentioned my intention to go study abroad for my masters and phD. I have really good chances to do that, I have very good grades and I am...

I am a undergraduate in an interdisciplinary life science/biochem/mol.bio/physical.chem degree thinking about which optionals to take. For this I have to consider what specialization I want to pick in my major. The two I am leaning towards are biophysics and biochem. There is also medical...

As I'm researching graduate programs, I've noticed a few well-known universities and programs do not require the GRE for admission. Is this a bad sign? Or just the preference of the admission committees? I don't want to turn this into a whether or not the GRE is a good indicator discussion...

This question is geared towards anyone who started off graduate school, but decided not to continue. I especially want to hear from physics people, but anyone! After reading some threads and stumbling on an article that had short anecdotes of people who decided to leave graduate, I sort of...

Hi Guys, So I am in a pretty peculiar pickle, by the end of my junior year I will have completed all graduation requirements for both my majors (Physics and Mathematics) and all graduation requirements for the university to grant me my degree. I want to emphasize that I am not overloading on...

Hello everyone, I am trying to write a personal statement for graduate school, and I am not sure what to say. I started off by saying that I would like to eventually become a professor in order to give students research opportunities that I wasn't given as an undergraduate student (because I...

Can the student of computer science take up software engineering jobs?

I want to apologize if this topics already exists somewhere on the forum. Most google/forum searches usually have people asking about experiment to theory , or switching fields after PhD. I recently submitted a grad application and I still have a lot more to do. My research background in...

Hi, I am filling up graduate school applications, but I am asked to list the universities I am applying for. Any ideas about the reasons they ask us? Should I tell them? I am afraid this information will affect the admission in a bad way.

Hello, I am currently a sophomore student double major in physics & math in a flagship state university. Last semester I took 28 credits with 4 math courses (Multivarible Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equation, Elementary Analysis), 3 intro-level physics courses (E&M, Thermal...

Im about to graduate with a physics and math double major, so I'm currently searching for graduate programs that include applied physics, applied math, and engineering. Ultimately I am interested in applying science/math to practical applications in engineering or Earth science. My goal is to...

Hello Everyone! I'm currently in the final year of my Bachelor of Science, and I'm interested in pursuing graduate studies in theoretical/computational neuroscience. Unfortunately, I don't feel prepared for graduate level study/research in this discipline. Therefore, I'm contemplating taking...

I am applying for graduate school for applied math or engineering science. I am in a normal big ten school. I am in BS math and BA chemistry. I have a rather high gpa 3.9. Till now, I have taken 9 high level math courses, only one get A-, others are A, and 5 high level chemistry courses, only...

I'm applying for graduate school but am from a basically unknown state school. My stats can be found here: http://www.physicsgre.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=5735. I am looking for a low ranked or unranked theoretical cosmology/hep-th school or a similarly ranked observational astronomy program...

I just took my GRE today and I must say I did very mediocre on it. I did not fail but did mediocre. If one looked at my score they would never guess I';m a physics major. I got 156 in both verbal and quantitative. On my physics GRE I'm probably going to get in the 70 to 80th percentile. My GPA...

Choosing between engineering, physics and math is a choice I have been putting off for a long time. I am in my undergrad under engineering physics trying to do it all still by taking 6 courses a semester so that I can still fit in things like real analysis and topology, as well as quantum, EM...

I am looking to find out if my choices of graduate programs for a MS in applied physics are reputable. I was accepted to both CSU long Beach, SFSU, and Fresno.. Does anyone have an opinion on these schools? Is it normal that they don't offer tuition waivers? They are very vague on what they...

I'm beginning to apply to grad schools (primarily in observational or computational cosmology and extragalactic astronomy) but have a deep interest in M-theory and quantum gravity although I haven't been able to study it. I very much enjoy theory and think that I would find studying M-theory or...

I want to go to physics grad school, but I also want to be ready to go to into CFD for industry if academia doesn't pan out - what area of physics would prepare me best for that?

Hello all, I am currently pursuing an undergrad degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. I choose to major in MechE because it seemed to me to be the most broad of the engineering disciplines and because I've heard the career prospects for people with engineering degrees are...

It will be for a masters degree so the research won't be as intensive. I realize 9-12 hours is considered full time in graduate school, but in physics specifically, is 12 too much in one semester?

Hello, My post concerns getting jobs after my Masters degree in Chemical Engineering. I am currently in my 4th/senior year for a BS Chemical Engineering degree. I got accepted in a fifth-year program, so I can spend one more year at school and get my Masters degree. I am excited because I love...

I will be graduating with a BA in physics and BS in Electrical Engineering in May. I want an optics PhD. I attended an info session on Sandia National Labs at my university, and the recruiters made me think about a PhD program through a national lab. If someone has experience with the National...

Definitely looking to pursue graduate level theoretical physics in Quantum Mechanics. Which undergrad program would be best? Mathematical Physics, General Physics, or Astrophysics?

Hi, I will be applying to US graduate schools this year (this would be my second attempt). I graduated from an Indian institute, not very well known for physics, and my CGPA (Cumulative Grading Point Average) is 7.991. Using http://www.foreigncredits.com/Resources/GPA-Calculator/India, I found...

I am a physics major currently scheduled to graduate next May. However, I want to take a 1 year break before going on to graduate school. What are some worthwhile things that I can do during that 1 year break? I definitely want to do something/ or join a program that is travelling-related...

I am about to graduate soon with a double major in math and physics. I have always wanted to go to graduate school for physics, but recently I did an REU and all I did was program the whole time and hated it. Also, I have been noticing that the overall job outlook seems horrible and many...

What eligibility is required to take graduate level courses in undergrad once you have the prerequisites. I am assuming it is the grades. Most websites state, permission of the instructor. What factors are taken into consideration by the instructor to make this decision?

I am a senior undergraduate physics major but I am not sure I want to go to graduate school for physics. I do not actually enjoy physics. I find it do-able but I started realizing junior year that I definitely don't love it. I have had a subscription to physics today for three years and never...

Hi all, I was wondering if you had any advice as to "flexible" graduate programs that have do nanofabrication research. Nanofabrication doesn't fit neatly into the physics or engineering categories, so I would like to find a program that is flexible enough to allow me to perhaps do...

You've probably been asked a similar question countless times I presume but please just hear me out. I am currently in my junior year of undergraduate and majoring in physics. For some time now I have really loved doing physics and I enjoy it, mostly the theory. But is taking it further and...

Hi all, I'm a junior physics/applied math double major at a state school in Wisconsin. I'm on my third year of nuclear physics research experience (freshman year wasn't physics, but it was nuclear related) and I'm looking to go to grad school for a PhD likely in physics, applied physics or...

I am an undergraduate student and I am currently trying to decide whether to take undergraduate or graduate Quantum Mechanics. I plan to do a PhD in physics later on, so I assume that I will eventually take a graduate course in Quantum Mechanics, so I figure I might as well take it now, being...

Hello PhysicsForums! I'm currently a senior undergraduate physics major looking at grad school options. I hope to pursue a future career in industry rather than academia. I've found a couple graduate programs that are very interesting to me. 1) Georgetown University Industrial Leadership...

Hi everyone, I have searched all over the site to see if I am repeating a question, but I don't believe that I am. So I am currently in the life sciences, but I am switching to physical sciences to do a graduate degree in one year. The program, obviously, recommends that I have decent...

Hello all, I'm a German undergrad student wishing to do a physics graduate program in America. But the universities I looked at seems all too selective for me (for example at Louisiana State University they are looking for someone that have already done independent research and published...

Hey everyone, I'm currently attending a community college, and heading into my last year here. I'm starting to fill out my transfer applications, and I was wondering how important it really is to attend different universities for your undergraduate and graduate degrees. I've always heard that...

It's been such a long time since I last worked with maths (~8-9 years). I am seeking a popular advanced math curriculum for a non-math major to warm myself up for a coming entrance exam to a graduate school. Links to free materials online would be the best offering! Thanks!

Hello, Can anyone who have some knowledge about these graduate schools in NE (Master Programs) give me some help to better choose which one would best FIT into my goals, I am making a little shift from Mechanical Engineering into NE and I am choosing between these schools; Switzerland - ETH...

Hey has anyone had experience with a good book on Laser-Plasma interaction at a graduate level? I've seen a few on amazon and the like but they rarely have reviews so I have no idea how good they are. Thanks you!

Hi, I am starting graduate work next fall in biophysics, mostly simulations. It's not that biophysics doesn't appeal to me, but my primary interests are in particle theory. Eventually, I would want to learn qft, gr, geometry and topology, the essentials for understanding superstring theory...

I have a graduate admissions question for anyone who might have been part of a graduate admissions committee. How do you view undergraduate research projects that are not cutting edge or particularly interesting? My project is on the effect of ball milling on production of a bulk high-Tc...

What would you do in my situation? I'm almost 30 with no career or professional experience. I finished my BS degree in Mathematics a year ago, but I don't know what to do with it. I had planned on pursuing a MS right after, but changed my mind and decided to look for entry level positions. I...

ah, but which ones? There's some personal stuff mixed in here, which I hope you don't mind reading, but which is relevant. Some background (for those that don't know me here) I'm 37, just completed my bachelor's (BA in mathematics). I am married, no kids, but with a supportive wife...