Engineering jobs with a Physics degree

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Smythe

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If applying for engineering jobs (excluding civil) would there be any benefit in having one of the following degree titles over the other?

a) Physics BSc

b) Physics with Astrophysics BSc


In other words, would it be preferable to have one instead of the other? Or would it make little difference?

Thanks!
 
Engineering covers a very broad spectrum. What field in particular are you interested in? Your answer lies in how relevant astrophysics is to that field.
 
Leo said:
Engineering covers a very broad spectrum. What field in particular are you interested in? Your answer lies in how relevant astrophysics is to that field.
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I've nothing specific in mind, just generally what is available in Ireland.

So that has the implication that any engineering job I might be interested in would most likely have no connection to Astrophysics.
 
What's available in Ireland covers almost the entire engineering spectrum. I think you're going to need to get a lot more specific in order to be successful.
 
The nature of the degree isn't always that important, however, maybe in engineering it is.

Physics is a critical part of engineering, but then so are many of the other sciences. So the biggest stumbling block you'd have to get across is, to be blunt, detailing how your physics degree is of more use than a specific engineering degree. I think that might be a challenge.

As has been mentioned, engineering is a huge and varied field. You may have elimnated civil engineering, but then there's mechanical, electrical, computer, naval, acoustical, corrosion, aerospace, automotive, computer, electronic, petroleum, systems, audio, software, architectural, biosystems, biomedical, geological, industrial, materials, and nuclear.

Each is a very specific field with their own courses and as stated above, physics is one part of that, but engineering in any field is a practical application of that and many other sciences as well as economics and other fields.

The key is practical application, employers will want to see you've applied the knowledge to a set of circumstances and solved it. If you've looked at physics beyond theory, that may help and you could emphasise the experimental or applied physics aspects of your degree.

But to take something like ESA, where your degree may be attractive, the astrophysicists would be working more on observation from, say, a telescope, interpreting what is seen and using physics to confirm theories, add to theories, or learn more about the universe.

The engineers would have designed and built the telescope.

Completely different fields.

I don't want to put you off, but you are competing against peopel who will have specific engineering based qualifications and experience. In mostcases, for example chemical engineering, an employer will not entertain anyone who hasn't read Chemical Engineering. In addition, if you're applying for all engineering jobs, it can show a lack of understanding to those you're applying to as not all engineering is the same.

Just make sure you research each job you apply for and what that field requires, then find what aspects of your degree could be useful there. If you have practical design and build experience, that's great and use that in all applications.
 
As far as physics degrees they are both the exact same with regards job prospects (astro might have a minimal advantage in some space/astronomy careers)
Physics with astronomy is just a rebranding of physics which removes the choice for the undergraduate. Colleges do this to sex their courses up and increase enrolment. They will promote field trip aspects of these courses. Its cynical and detrimental to students.
 
Thank you Latrade. Your detailed reply is most appreciated and has given me a lot of food for thought.

I'm thinking now, concerning engineering, either of these degree titles won't make much difference, and if I wanted to go into any form of engineering in the future I'd probably have to consider a MEng or an Engineering MSc.

TommyB said:
As far as physics degrees they are both the exact same with regards job prospects (astro might have a minimal advantage in some space/astronomy careers)
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And considering I almost certainly won't be working in the field of Astro given that it's a small field compared to what else is available, it looks like either degree title is as good as the other.

That is, unless I thought either of these two degree titles was preferred by Finance or Computing/IT companies, which are probably two of the largest fields for Physics grads to go into.

TommyB said:
Physics with astronomy is just a rebranding of physics which removes the choice for the undergraduate. Colleges do this to sex their courses up and increase enrolment. They will promote field trip aspects of these courses. Its cynical and detrimental to students.
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I hadn't thought of that, though I certainly see what you mean.
 
Smythe said:
That is, unless I thought either of these two degree titles was preferred by Finance or Computing/IT companies, which are probably two of the largest fields for Physics grads to go into.
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As someone who hires in IT, a physics qualification won't get you in the door for an interview. If you are interested in working in IT, you should do a focused BSc/BEng course in computer science or engineering. Of course, if you're set on a physics degree, you could always do a more focused IT related masters afterwards to make you more appealing to IT recruiters.
 
Leo said:
As someone who hires in IT, a physics qualification won't get you in the door for an interview. If you are interested in working in IT, you should do a focused BSc/BEng course in computer science or engineering. Of course, if you're set on a physics degree, you could always do a more focused IT related masters afterwards to make you more appealing to IT recruiters.
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Leos right.

The IT/Electronic Engineering company I work for have a policy of recruiting BEng/BSc as grads, except in very exceptional circumstances. ( i.e. a work experience student who impresses hugely).

If you have relevent experience, the actual degree is less relevant, and we have a fair number of people with Physics degress. The problem these days is getting your foot in the door when there are loads of grads for companies to choose from.
 
Leo said:
As someone who hires in IT, a physics qualification won't get you in the door for an interview.
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huskerdu said:
Leos right.

The IT/Electronic Engineering company I work for have a policy of recruiting BEng/BSc as grads, except in very exceptional circumstances. ( i.e. a work experience student who impresses hugely).
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It sounds as if the best places to look for a Physics BSc grad with no relevant engineering experience is either in some form of research or alternatively Finance.


Leo said:
If you are interested in working in IT, you should do a focused BSc/BEng course in computer science or engineering.
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Do you mean it is easier to go into IT with an Engineering BEng rather than a Physics BSc? Why is this? Or perhaps you specifically mean a computing BEng?
 
Smythe said:
Do you mean it is easier to go into IT with an Engineering BEng rather than a Physics BSc? Why is this? Or perhaps you specifically mean a computing BEng?
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There is no such thing as an Engineering BEng. There are BEng degrees in Mechanical, Production, Chemical Engineering etc, etc, etc.

There are many degrees in Electronic Engineering that contain a lot of modules in Computer Science / Computer Engineering / Computer science.
These are the degrees that IT companies are interested in.
 
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