/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.2659122]

SO. /sci/. Have a question for you.

I'm double majoring in Physics and Chemical Engineering...I'll have my Bachelors degrees in a year and a half.

My question is: on a scale of 1 to holy fucking dogshit, how difficult would it be to begin working on a ChemE Masters and a Physics PhD at the same time? Should I choose one over the other, or go for gold with two?

[Anonymous No.2659138]

why don't you look for a job first? you have an engineering degree so you should be able to find a job. Please stop wasting taxpayers money on something so useless as a phd in physics.

[Anonymous No.2659140]

read an entire physics text book and read an entire chemistry text book... then you'll know if you want to continue.. and no skimming... take down notes if needed

[Anonymous No.2659148]

if it was possible, which would stretch the school's limitations, it would be relatively easy.


first few years of Ph. D. is the same as a masters degree.


classes. you take more classes. typically 3-4 per quarter for 1 year, and then the entire remainder is research and teaching.


if you can handle taking 2x the number of classes... all of which are significantly more difficult than any undergraduate class you have taken....


then by all means.


but remember, graduate courses are like:


50% oral 10 minute oral exam midterm
50% oral 20 minute oral exam final

or some other ridiculous shit like that.

[Anonymous No.2659151]

>>2659138
Pic related

>>2659122
Why the hell would you want to do both? You wouldn't be doing physics in a chemE job, and you wouldn't be using chemE in a physics research position. I can't even imagine that a university would even let you do this. Have you talked to your adviser?

[Anonymous No.2659152]

>>2659148

Oral?

As in oral sex?

[Anonymous No.2659190]

>>2659151
I haven't spoken to him yet. It was just something I've been thinking about relatively recently. I would like to find work doing some sort of alternative energy research; god-mode like NREL labs would be a fucking dream, but I'd also be happy working for Exxon-Mobil's or GE's green tech labs.

I started out as physics, btw, but b/c of a fluke in my schedule I had shit tons of room for something else, so I picked up the engineering major for job security. If all else fails, someone will hire me for that.

[Anonymous No.2659213]

Why not just get a pHD in chemical physics?

[Anonymous No.2659222]

>simultaneous graduate degrees

nobody does this. i don't even think a lot of programs will allow you to do this. you're supposed to be putting in a great deal of your time on research for a PhD and trying to complete a different degree at the same time sounds pointless to me.

Of course there's always a possibility that you are a wizard at multitasking and being under pressure, but chances are you'll want to pick one or the other.

[Anonymous No.2659226]

>>2659122

You probably won't get onto the PhD program when they find out you'll be splitting your time + you only have a bachelors.

[Anonymous No.2659227]

>>2659213


just for note:


in the US we call it "physical chemistry" with subsets like physical organic, biophysical chem/biophysics (which is inevitably about protein folding dynamics, membrane dynamics, metalloenzyme kinetics, or analytical chemistry)


I think they sometimes call it "chemical physics" in Europe.

[Anonymous No.2659236]

that's awesome OP. I'm currently busy with chemE, after that ill go for a physics degree. I wish I could double major in both at my university.

[Anonymous No.2659244]

OP again:

So which graduate degree would be most useful for energy research? I'm assuming the Physics PhD...the only thing that irks me is a Physics PhD can take like 5 years...that's a long time.

[Anonymous No.2659361]

>>2659227
> "chemical physics" in Europe

Never heard that, it's called physical chemistry in Europe, too.

[Anonymous No.2661433]

>>2659226
It isn't necessary to get your Master's before you get your PhD