Master's of Engineering

zpmqxonw
Sat, 08 Jul 2006 01:44:03 +0000

Hi,

I’m a sophomore (almost junior) at our local state university and planning to double-major in astronomy and physics with a minor in mathematics. Right now, I’m on-track to complete that by June 2008.

I had a high school internship at NASA last summer and really enjoyed it. I think I would be happy to work at a big engineering company like NASA or Boeing, but physics has recently really sparked my interest. I have had a tough time deciding between the two and was thinking that I could focus on physics and astronomy for my undergrad, and then follow that up with a master’s of engineering (I think I heard most are one year, is this correct?). I would like to pursue a PhD in physics afterwards, but am afraid this might be overkill. FWIW, time isn’t much of an issue; I’ll be a fairly young graduate and will barely be 19 when I plan to graduate.

*I guess what I’m asking about is if anybody could tell me a little more about the master’s of engineering programs? How long do they last? Would it be too much to earn a master’s of engineering and then a PhD. in Physics? Are there any classes that I should take to “prepare” for admissions (I’m mostly taking physics and math classes right now)? Would completing a master’s of engineering program affect admissions to graduate school (either as a help or hinderance)? *

Thanks in advance for any advice :)