Braden
In college, I was planning on pursuing a double major. I was planning on obtaining a PhD in astrophysics and a bachelors in robotics engineering. I was wondering: how hard would this be and would it even be possible?
I was planning on obtaining this degree so I would have a back-up plan in life. If one career fell through, I could rely on the other. I find both subjects really interesting to me and I would like to make possible careers out of them. In the best case scenario, I could possibly find a career where I could make use of both degrees. Please help. #physics #double-major #robotics #astrophysics #robotics-engineer
4 answers
Soumya Bandyopadhyay
Soumya’s Answer
When you are applying for a PhD, please ensure that you are connecting the dots. Basically, how your discrete experiences in undergrad would make you a strong candidate for PhD not only in contributing to the intellectual output of the university (a) but also a valuable member in community (b). Some ways to connect dots are:
(a) Coursework (Maths, Physics, Engineering), research experience, projects, internships in undergrad: Transferable skills and relevance to the role
(b) Teaching experience (Undergrad TA) or community work in undergrad.
Keith Martin
Keith’s Answer
Hi Braden,
A PhD and a Bachelors of Science (BS) aren't exactly a double major--I would consider two BS degrees in parallel a double major. You would obtain a PhD and BS sequentially, with a BS first, and then possibly a Masters (MS) or PhD. The PhD is highly specialized, although many of the best researchers do interdisciplinary work, i.e., work combining multiple fields. That allows them to bring new perspectives to other fields, and can lead to major breakthroughs.
It's also not unheard of to obtain a PhD in a different field than your undergraduate degree, especially if they are similar or related, which may be of interest to you. While you wouldn't necessarily switch from one field to another, you could use your knowledge in one field to make unique contributions. For example, if you are doing a PhD in astrophysics, you may focus your research on problems that could be solved with robotics.
You may want to look up some researchers in astrophysics at different universities, and see what kind of research they're doing, and what kind of background their grad students have. That will give you some idea of what sounds interesting to you, although your interests may change over time, and if you are not yet in college they may change quite a bit. However, if you are trying to get a PhD in a different field, it would be good to take some undergraduate courses in astrophysics so that you have some foundation in the field.
Keith
Brandon Recknagel
Brandon’s Answer
If you finish your Bachelors Degree in robotics and engineering you can pick from jobs like picking a shirt out of your closet. Especially once you get some years of hands on experience under your belt. Just one thing to consider. (But obviously programming robots doesn't pay anywhere near as much)
Arfon Smith
Arfon’s Answer
Personally I gained an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and then went on to gain a PhD in Astrochemistry. A big part of my PhD program was applying foundational knowledge from my undergraduate degree to astronomical environments (in my case studying the chemistry of the interstellar medium).
Similar to other answers here, I would expect that a robotics program would include significant aspects of maths, physics, engineering, and that these could be very applicable to a PhD program in astrophysics.