u/General_Flower_3606

Hi everyone, I'm looking for honest, blunt advice on my situation from current physics PhD students, professors, etc. I'm wrapping up an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering (Flight Mechanics & Controls) at Georgia Tech this December with a ~3.5 GPA, and I'm currently attending the NASA JPL Planetary Science Summer School. I want to pursue a PhD in physics, but my academic background is mostly in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

Here's a quick snapshot of where I'm coming from:

Background:

• M.S. Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Tech (expected Dec 2026) — concentration in Flight Mechanics & Controls, GPA ~3.5

• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, GPA 3.72

• Currently attending NASA JPL Planetary Science Summer School (summer 2026)

• 1.5 years industry experience as a Radar Systems Engineer (algorithm dev, state estimation, Monte Carlo simulation)

Technical strengths relevant to physics:

• Heavy coursework and project work in Kalman filtering, optimal control (LQR, H-inf), orbital mechanics, and spacecraft dynamics

• rigid body simulations, nonlinear state estimation (EKF/UKF), and trajectory optimization in MATLAB/Python/C++

• Familiar with the math underlying a lot of space physics (dynamics, PDEs, linear algebra, probability, functional analysis)

What I don't have:

• Formal physics coursework (no undergrad quantum, stat mech, etc.)

• Publications under a physicist/planetary scientist (Planetary Science Summer School can result in a publication)

My honest question for the community:

What can I do to increase my chances of admission if it is feasible at all. I know emailing a ton of people and building connections is probably important but I'm not sure where to start.

Any honest takes and or pointers would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance.

TL;DR

Aerospace engineering MS from Georgia Tech (GPA ~3.5), currently at NASA JPL Planetary Science Summer School, with industry background in radar systems and state estimation. Want to pursue a physics PhD but have limited formal physics coursework. Is this feasible and what can I do between now and applications to strengthen my case?

Hi everyone, I'm looking for honest, blunt advice on my situation from current physics PhD students, professors, etc. I'm wrapping up an M.S. in Aerospace Engineering (Flight Mechanics & Controls) at Georgia Tech this December with a ~3.5 GPA, and I'm currently attending the NASA JPL Planetary Science Summer School. I want to pursue a PhD in physics, but my academic background is mostly in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

Here's a quick snapshot of where I'm coming from:

Background:

• M.S. Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Tech (expected Dec 2026) — concentration in Flight Mechanics & Controls, GPA ~3.5

• B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Connecticut, GPA 3.72

• Currently attending NASA JPL Planetary Science Summer School (summer 2026)

• 1.5 years industry experience as a Radar Systems Engineer (algorithm dev, state estimation, Monte Carlo simulation)

Technical strengths relevant to physics:

• Heavy coursework and project work in Kalman filtering, optimal control (LQR, H-inf), orbital mechanics, and spacecraft dynamics

• rigid body simulations, nonlinear state estimation (EKF/UKF), and trajectory optimization in MATLAB/Python/C++

• Familiar with the math underlying a lot of space physics (dynamics, PDEs, linear algebra, probability, functional analysis)

What I don't have:

• Formal physics coursework (no undergrad quantum, stat mech, etc.)

• Publications under a physicist/planetary scientist (Planetary Science Summer School can result in a publication)

My honest question for the community:

What can I do to increase my chances of admission if it is feasible at all. I know emailing a ton of people and building connections is probably important but I'm not sure where to start.

Any honest takes and or pointers would be hugely appreciated. Thanks in advance.

TL;DR

Aerospace engineering MS from Georgia Tech (GPA ~3.5), currently at NASA JPL Planetary Science Summer School, with industry background in radar systems and state estimation. Want to pursue a physics PhD but have limited formal physics coursework. Is this feasible and what can I do between now and applications to strengthen my case?