Greetings,

I am a junior student at a liberal arts college (Pacific Lutheran University) and I am interested in majoring in engineering. I have several options as an undergraduate and I wanted to get some advice.

My options are:

I could transfer to a school with an undergrad engineering program and spend two years studying for a BS in Mechanical Engineering (finish in May 2011). (After that possibly a MS.)

OR

Or I could study for a BS in Physics (finish Dec 2009) and complete a semester-long internship at an engineering firm (Spring 2010) and then apply to a grad program for engineering.

OR

I could study for a BS in Applied Physics (finish in May 2010) and then apply to a grad program.

Also, about how long would a grad program take me to complete as a BS (Applied) Physics (I assume I will need basic undergrad engineering courses?) compared to a student with a BS in Mechanical Engineering?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ben

Contact the institution.

The thing is that my professors don't have much to say about engineering.

The things I want to know are things like:

What does a BS engineer do compared to a MS engineer?

Would a Physics degree (and internship) or Applied Physics degree prepare me more for a engineering grad program?

And by the way, I'm leaning towards Aerospace Engineering.

Find a good school via a referral index on acceptable level engineering schools?
You should have both CAD CAM and board work time, plus the tautology of engineering theory and applications?

There should be good engineering and drawing text on the shelves of those rooms you are being taught in, or its not an acceptable school!

http://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=139

If your going to be an astronaut, you need languages, physical education flying and a host of other courses to make it to course level requirements acceptance for astronaut mission specialist.

You also have to in yourself ferret out any psychological tick out of you, that will prohibit you from making the grade, once your work your way up to NASA’s acceptance level.

If your going to branch into physics, make sure that you have a specialty and like this.

Most physicist are characterized as floating air-heads, when in practical applications situation, they need you to come up with a furtive answer, soon.

Although the look of being an astronaut or mission specialist, is sugar coated, things can end up to where you have a deceased person floating either by you or in the next compartment to you.

This is not an easy or cake goal.

Please keep this in mind if you go for this goal..?!

And in the area of languages , Martian and Jovian would be strongly recommended

I would love to be an astronaut, but the biggest requirement I seem to fail miserably for is for good eye sight. I was thinking about lasik, but I guess that is untested as far as pressure differences.

I guess another question is: do you think it's even possible for me to be an astronaut still?

What should I study to still work on off-planet missions from the ground?

Get a good evalution if you can have lasic.
I think that you can still get in, even if you have eye correction, but with glasses?

Get a book on the shuttle or a current jet fighter and learn the controls redundantly.
On the large blowup drawing I of this aircraft, know where every button of switch is hooked up to and how this actuates.

Also watch the Modern Marvels series on the History Channel on the B-2 Stealth.
Record this and memorize what every item I on the instrument panels does and how this feature makes that aircraft fly?

The B-2 is referred to as the brainy aircraft.

You might also visit your ROTC officer on campus, when and if you transfer out and see if you if you cant get into ROTC. This might help your studies allot?

Thank you for your thoughts. I'm taking them all into consideration. I guess the B.S. in Engineering seems more practical? But would a physics-type doctorate be more desirable for a mission specialist?

Well if you had an engineeriing degree and logged 5000 hours in an F-16 that would look pretty good.

Bismillah...

Asalamualikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,

For those of you who have taken summer school- Highschool.....Any advice on how to handle it? Is it really...that bad? in terms of work load ....having no time..etc. ...


Any advice... JazakumAllahu Khayrun