Jump to content

Pursuing PhD in EE at Princeton or Physics at Caltech?


aluminumfalcon3

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone. I majored in physics in undergrad, and really enjoyed the research I did with quantum information and quantum circuits. So, in addition to applying to physics PhD programs, I applied to Princeton electrical engineering and was luckily accepted. I am now deliberating between pursuing a physics PhD at Caltech or pursuing an EE PhD at Princeton, with a focus at either place on quantum information and hybrid quantum systems.  I was wondering if you all could provide some insight on EE vs physics. I understand there is a lot of overlap, but at some point there are concrete differences between different departments. 

Also does your PhD field matter or is it really just important what research you do? My end goal is teaching and research in physics, would an EE PhD make that harder?

Edited by aluminumfalcon3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

A lot of research done at Princeton EE is based on physics. I visited there and talked to a number of professors, and my impression was it is quite similar to Caltech in terms of emphasis on physics and other sciences. I think the major difference is if you want to use physics and apply it to your research, Princeton will fit well. I am not entirely familiar with Caltech Physics although I know Caltech EE. So, I cannot comment on that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/24/2016 at 1:19 AM, aluminumfalcon3 said:

Hi everyone. I majored in physics in undergrad, and really enjoyed the research I did with quantum information and quantum circuits. So, in addition to applying to physics PhD programs, I applied to Princeton electrical engineering and was luckily accepted. I am now deliberating between pursuing a physics PhD at Caltech or pursuing an EE PhD at Princeton, with a focus at either place on quantum information and hybrid quantum systems.  I was wondering if you all could provide some insight on EE vs physics. I understand there is a lot of overlap, but at some point there are concrete differences between different departments. 

Also does your PhD field matter or is it really just important what research you do? My end goal is teaching and research in physics, would an EE PhD make that harder?

They are both incredible programs. Caltech is better in physics overall than Princeton is at EE, but they are both top 10 programs in the respective field. An advantage of EE is that it is more marketable in case something goes wrong on your path to be a professor or you decide to change your mind (an engineering degree will make it easier to get a pe if you decide to go into the field, you can use it to get a job in finance/consulting, and it is easier to get an engineering job.). I don't think being an EE PhD would make it much harder to teach as a Physics professor, the director of the undergrad physics department at my university was an EE PhD, in addition, you don't even really have to be a physics professor to teach physics classes (for instance, MIT has EE graduate programs with a focus around applied physics). In addition, there are many ECE programs in universities that do research in fields like quantum information/computing/etc (for instance purdue), so if your research interest and experience is similar it shouldn't be that big a deal. (Advantages for Caltech on the other hand are weather and a Caltech Physics Degree)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use