I am a math major and have a strong interest in mechanical and electrical engineering. Can I apply to graduate school for these fields or any other fields like chemistry, biology or medicine?
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2You can of course, but what qualifies you better than all of the other applicants? Why would a department choose you given that most of the other applicants will already have an education in these fields?– Wolfgang BangerthCommented Jun 10 at 17:53
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1Plenty of heavy duty math problems in engineering PhDs to be done (perhaps mostly in simulation). Same holds for other technical fields. One question would be how much basic undergraduate course work in the other fields you have done.– Jon CusterCommented Jun 10 at 17:58
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1An earlier comment of mine: The "roommate of mine" of mine who I mentioned here got an undergraduate degree in math, skipped a year from school (worked as an assistant car mechanic), then took some undergraduate engineering courses at another university part-time, then applied to and got accepted to MIT's graduate mechanical engineering program, where he got his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering a few years later. So yes, it is possible.– Dave L RenfroCommented Jun 10 at 18:36
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A question that would only be asked by a math major ...– Azor Ahai -him-Commented Jun 10 at 20:25
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1 Answer
This might depend on many thing, including where you want to pursue the doctorate. In the US it is common to change focus between undergraduate and graduate study, but that is enabled by the very broad undergraduate education that is typical here. Other places the undergraduate education is more focused meaning people have little experience outside their major field.
Each program at each university will have its own requirements and you need to meet those, often in a competitive environment.
However, engineering generally requires math, along with other things, and there are parts of engineering that depend more on math than others.
You need to explore individual programs at several place and decide how well you fit those requirements. It would be useful to have a face to face conversation with a few people in an engineering program to get a sense about your chances for admission and your likelihood of success.
Yes, it is probably possible, though the early part of the path might be a bit rocky.
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@AbdullahMAl-jazy I would pay particular attention to the Qualifying Exams, or Breadth Requirement, or whatever the various institutions call it. Commented Jun 10 at 23:50
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