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Topic: Pursuing a M Sc. Physics or a M Sc. Chemistry  (Read 5122 times)

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Offline arrietajp

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Pursuing a M Sc. Physics or a M Sc. Chemistry
« on: April 11, 2010, 12:33:32 AM »
HI
I know this is a weird question to ask in this forum, but this is a big question for me.
I'm currently in my last semester on electrical engineering and physics, so I'll graduate from both, later this year.

After graduation, I have decided to stay in my country (Costa Rica, Central America) to do a Master degree in order to get a better resume so that I can get a better research program since third world universities are not that recognized, even thought my country has a fairly good science program, a much better chemistry than physics (in graduate school terms).

I'm not sure about what course to follow since what I want to specialize in nanotechnology, since now there are courses just in this area and not as part of a separate department.

Nanotechnology or well the so called nanoscience is extremely interdisciplinary, so I believe that being an electrical engineer and a physicist I'll be able to have broad spectrum in the field, but if I undergo a M Sc. in Chemistry I'll have an even broader one.

My major concern resides in that my local physics department is not as good as the chemistry one so I'll have a better research opportunity to do well in chemistry that in physics, also in physics I'll continue to learn topics that I'll saw before, obviously in a more profound way but in either way topics already studied. Instead in chemistry I would start to know about Analytical, organic, inorganic and physical chemistry topics I know nothing about.

So I think that maybe I'll learn more in chemistry and also become a better scientist by broadening my knowledge, but leaving physics makes me feel weird.

Thank you for reading and for your post

Offline JGK

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Re: Pursuing a M Sc. Physics or a M Sc. Chemistry
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2010, 03:07:58 PM »
I think if you switch to an MSc chemistry course you will struggle if not crash and burn completely. MSc courses are designed for students who already have a thorough grounding in the basics of chemistry and any body coming in without those basics will be at a serious disadvantage.


I took a MSc in analytical chemistry, I was working a s an analytical chemist and had a BSc in biochemistry which included physical, and organic chemistry components (even with this getting on the course was hard). Even so I struggled with the Inorganic chemistry aspects of the course. If I'd had no undergraduate chemistry I would have failed completely.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

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