This is the question that troubled me a lot during my undergraduate studies. This is a hard question! You can do a lot after getting your Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree, but what is the best option for you? It is unwise to make a decision without knowing all the options available. And, it is hard to get all the information even in this digital age. So, this blogpost is my attempt to help the confused students by providing them as much information as I can.
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First of all, if you are a high school (+2) student reading this and you’re interested in pure science (not engineering, medicine etc.) I suggest you to look into various 4 years Bachelor’s programs offered by Tribhuvan University and Kathmandu University. Also, since this post is based on my experience as a recent 4 years B.Sc. Physics graduate, I may fail to include all the opportunities available for Biological Sciences students.
If you get your Science degree or are on the way to earn your degree: Congratulations. Now, you can choose what you want to do next. Here are some options:
Job
If you’re a B.Sc. degree holder in Nepal, there are very few jobs you can get. First option is teaching. In private/boarding schools, you can teach Science, Mathematics subjects to secondary level and earn around 30,000 per month. The salary and workload depends on location and prestige of schools. If you’re serious about teaching and see yourself as a teacher in future, you can obtain teaching license through Teacher Service Commission and apply for various teaching positions on government schools.
Another short-term option is becoming home tutor. This pays well, you don’t have to work that hard and this job will help you to pay rents while you consider other options. During exam season, especially that of grade 10 ,11 and 12 you can get these kinds of job easily.
Some people search for jobs outside the field of science where Bachelor’s degree is the requirement like in Marketing, Salesman etc. These kinds of job depend on your communication and inter-personal skills.
You can search for teaching and other jobs using various sites like MeroJob.com or through Facebook groups.
If you want to enter Public Service Commission (Lok Sewa Aayog), you’ve to pass a highly competitive examination. It tests you GK, IQ and Verbal ability. More information can be found here.
Further Study in Nepal
If you want to obtain Master’s degree in Nepal, there are few options. For Master’s degree in education and arts, you can fill up the admission form and that’s all. All the universities in Nepal offers Master’s degree in education and arts.
For M.Sc. degree in Tribhuvan University, you have to fill up entrance form and pass the entrance examination. The entrance fee is typically Rs. 1200. Admission on the Central Campus, Kirtipur is based on the merit list. Each department admits 120 students per year among them 96 is through open category and 24 through reserved system. For students of any field except Physics, there is not much competition in entrance examination. If you want to study, you can get in.
For Physics, there are usually 700 students competing for 120 seats. So, if you want to get in, you’ve to study seriously for entrance examination. The entrance and admission notice is usually published around Falgun first week and examination is held around mid- Chaitra. The syllabus is the Physics course you had covered during four years of your B.Sc. study (including Econophysics). There will be 100 objective questions in the exam. Usually, the topper gets around 74/75. If you passed the exam but failed to get admitted in Central Department of Physics (CDP), you can apply for admission at Patan Multiple Campus, ASCOL Campus, St. Xavier’s, Goldengate College in Kathmandu valley.
If you want to jump boat towards engineering, you can join IOE, Pulchowk for M.Sc. in Climate Change and Development and M.Sc. in Material Science. The entrance examination is tough but if you can get in and finish your study, job prospects are very good in Nepal. The entrance notice is published around first week of Falgun and examination is held around last week of Falgun. For example notice for the year 2073/74.
Study Abroad
Another option is you can apply for Master’s and PhD positions around the world. Depending upon the country, you’ve to meet certain minimum requirements. Let’s discuss some of them.
USA
If you want apply at the various universities in USA, you’ve to take General GRE, TOEFL and optionally Subject GRE exams. After completing 16 years of education, you’ll be eligible to apply for graduate school in USA. In US education system, graduate school is the next step after Bachelor’s degree. Usually, Master’s program is not funded while PhD program is fully funded. So, it is advisable to apply for PhD program after finishing B.Sc. In such PhD programs, you’ll complete Master’s level coursework during first two years (after that you can choose to obtain M.Sc. degree or can jump directly to PhD degree) and research for PhD degree in next three or four years. During those time, you’ll be given various assistantships (Teaching or Research) that will cover your expenses. That makes a PhD program very lucrative opportunity.
M.Sc. program is US is like the first two years of PhD program 9coursework) and additional Master’s thesis. Usually, Master’s programs are not fully funded in US. But, there are few universities with funded Master’s program.
For both PhD and Master’s program, you’ve to take General GRE and TOEFL exams. Although not compulsory, it is advisable for Physics and Math students to take subject GRE exams. Your application along with these test scores consists of your B.Sc. transcript, Recommendation Letters and Statement of Purpose. The universities will take each of these component in consideration while making the decision.
Think carefully before deciding on going to grad school |
There are generally two intakes for graduate school in US, Summer (begins in June) and Fall (begins in August/September). Very few universities take students in summer, so it is the norm to apply for Fall intake. Application deadline for Fall intake is generally the Jan 1 of the same year. So, if you’re planning to apply for Fall 2018, you’ve to submit your application around Jan 1, 2018. This deadline varies among universities. This process is too long to explain fully in a single post, so if you’ve any questions feel free to ask me in comments.
Europe
Various universities in Europe also offers scholarship for Master’s and PhD (rare for B.Sc. students) program. But, in Europe you’ve to apply for university and for funding separately. So, this is a complicated process. There is not a general process of application like in US. The requirements and application process varies among countries and universities. Generally, the GRE test is not needed but TOEFL or IELTS is necessary.
Among various scholarship opportunities Erasmus MundusProgramme and Gates Cambridge Scholarship are the best.
Japan
Japanese government through MEXT scholarship program offers scholarship for postgraduate/research students in the field of pure science. More information can be found here.
Teach for Nepal Fellow
This fellowship program is for two years, during this time you’ll be teaching students at a high need schools around Nepal. More information can be found here.
Hope this will help some of you in making decisions about your future. If you have any questions, please ask me in comments below.
So I want to learn astrophysics here in Nepal or abroad if possible. How should I approach it? And what initial knowledge should I have to study it. I am in my 12th science physics.
Me too man.. i am also studying 12 science and is dreaming of studying astdophysics but i dont know about financial outcome and scopes… if you know plzz tell me about it.. you can tell me on facebook…
Sunil sapkota is my id .. i dont know yours so cant add you.. add me and we will discuss