<p>There wasn’t enough space in the title, but it was supposed to say, can a ME go to a top grad school for Applied Physics/MSE (since most are the same department) without taking additional courses on those subjects. I ask this because people often say physics major can go to grad school for EE, but they often leave out that they need to take some courses in EE before they apply. I think I might want to go for AE or the above two disciplines, but I am not sure what my interests are completely and hoping to discover it in college.</p>
<p>For applied physics, it depends on whether you have had serious courses in E&M and Quantum Mechanics. MEs don’t usually get these. Fortunately, you can probably take these with little loss of time. In the Applied Physics program at my university, IIT, these “make-up” courses can be counted for the degree.</p>
<p>As for MSE, you might also have some courses to take but it is possible that the program accomodates that by making them all graduate courses.</p>
<p>On a bit of a different topic, would anyone see any benefit in dual majoring ME with CS? With the AP credits that I have, looking at the courses, I should finish in 4 years with an average of 16 credits per semester.</p>
<p>Going to grad school in MSE probably wouldn’t be a problem, as MSE is a very cross-disciplinary program at the grad level. You’d definitely have an easier time getting things going at a school that leans more towards mechanics, but you’d still probably be fine. Most grad programs have their first year classes just as a higher level version of what most MSE students see in undergrad. You’ll take stuff on crystallography, dislocations/defects, thermodynamics (phase diagrams/equilibria instead of cycles like you probably had in undergrad), and transport. Then take a few classes directed towards whatever particular subfield you’re interested in.</p>
<p>I agree with xraymancs about applied physics. It tends to expect more of a solid physics background with classes in E&M and QM.</p>
<p>The benefit of doing a dual degree in CS all depends on what you’re interested in. It’s very likely you could figure out exactly what it is about CS you’re interested in, and go with a minor instead. Just take the particular classes that align with your interests and save a bit of headache. For example, if you’re interested in computational fluid dynamics, you’d probably be best off doing a couple of CS classes and a few extra math classes to go along with your ME degree.</p>
<p>Thanks for your detailed response Xraymanc and RacinReaver. Any suggestions in breaking into the space exploration field? I am also interested in Robotics which is why I want to do a BA on CS on the side. Things I should do, classes I should take?</p>
<p>You might want to look into mechatronics sorts of things? Work with a professor doing stuff you’re interested in, or get involved in a robotics club at your school. Figure out exactly what it is about robotics you’re interested in, and try to hone in on what skills you’d need for that.</p>