Physics, BS, Concentration: Engineering Physics

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About the Program

Students combine the basic principles of physics with the applied nature of engineering in order to identify underlying physical relationships and merge them with engineering processes and techniques.

Degree Requirements

120 Credit Hours
Minimum grade of C- required for all College of Engineering and Sciences courses
Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
Certain courses may only be available at one campus location

PNW General Education Core (32 Credits Minimum)

English Composition (6 Credits): Select two courses from the English Composition Core list
Speech Communication (3 Credits): Select from the Speech Communication Core list
Quantitative Reasoning (5 Credits): MA 16300 - Integrated Calculus Analysis Geometry I
Natural Sciences (8 Credits): PHYS 15200 - Mechanics and CHM 11500 - General Chemistry
Technology (3 Credits): ENGR 15100 - Software Tools For Engineers or CS 12300 - Programming I: Java
Humanities (3 Credits): Select from the Humanities Core list
Social Sciences (3 Credits): Select from the Social Sciences Core list
First-Year Experience (FYE) (1 Credit): PHYS 19400 - Freshman Physics Orientation

Major Core (70 Credits)

Other Required Courses (18 Credits)

Engineering Electives (11 Credits)

Choose three (3) from:

CE 27300 - Mechanics Of Materials
ECE 27500 - Analog and Digital Electronics
ECE 33500 - Electronics-Systems
ECE 37000 - Digital Systems-Logic Design
ME 31200 - Fluid Mechanics
ME 31300 - Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
ME 41600 - Heat Transfer
Other CE, ECE, ENGR, ME or MSE courses can be substituted with an advisor’s permission.

Mechanical Engineering Specialization

Students pursuing a Mechanical Engineering specialization should take:

Electrical Engineering Specialization

Students pursuing an Electrical Engineering specialization should take:

Physics Elective (3 Credits)

Any Physics course 30000 level or higher

Free Electives (4 Credits)

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Requirements

Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA): Minimum grade of C- required for all College of Engineering and Sciences courses; 2.0 GPA

Experiential Learning (EL): One EL course required. EL courses are noted by (e) next to the course title.

General Education Core: General Education notations can be found within the course description. Please click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement.

Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study.

Courses that are only offered on one campus will be noted by an (H) for Hammond, or (W) for Westville.

Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information.

Semester 1 (16 Credits)

Semester 2 (16 Credits)

Semester 3 (16 Credits)

Semester 4 (14 Credits)

PHYS 29400 - Sophomore Physics Seminar - (H) Spring Only
PHYS 34200 - Modern Physics - (H) Spring Only
PHYS 34300 - Modern Physics Laboratory - (H) Spring Only
MA 26400 - Differential Equations
ME 27500 - Basic Mechanics II (Dynamics)
ENGR 15100 - Software Tools For Engineers or CS 12300 - Programming I: Java

Semester 5 (16 Credits)

PHYS 31100 - Quantum Physics I - (H) Fall Only (odd years)
PHYS 33000 - Intermediate Electricity And Magnetism - (H) Fall Only
MA 26500 - Linear Algebra
ECE 15200 - Programming For Engineers
Engineering Elective (See Note 1)

Semester 6 (16 Credits)

PHYS 49400 - Junior-Senior Physics Seminar - (H) Spring Only
ME 30500 - General Thermodynamics I - Spring Only
MSE 20000 - Materials Science - Spring Only
Any Gen Ed Humanities course
Physics Elective - Any PHYS course 30000 or higher (H)
Engineering Elective (See Note 1)

Semester 7 (13 Credits)

PHYS 31000 - Intermediate Mechanics - (H) Fall Only (even years)
PHYS 40200 - Senior Research I (e) - Fall Only
Engineering Elective (See Note 1)
Any Gen Ed Social Science course

Semester 8 (13 Credits)

PHYS 38000 - Advanced Physics Laboratory - (H) Spring Only (odd years)
PHYS 40300 - Senior Research II (e) - Spring Only
PHYS 41800 - Thermal And Statistical Physics - (H) Spring Only (odd years)
Free Elective
Free Elective

Additional Information and Guidelines

Upper division courses are offered on a two year rotation. Contact an advisor to determine the specific semester a particular course will be offered. Certain courses may only be available at one campus location.

Any individual course within CES must be a C- or better, but the average GPA for all disciplinary courses (CHM, ECE, ENGR, ME or PHYS courses) must be at least 2.50.

At least 3 credit hours of PHYS, CES, or Free Electives must be 30000 level or higher.

Note 1: Engineering Elective Choose from CE 27300, ECE 27500, ECE 33500, ECE 37000, ME 31200, ME 31300, and ME 41600. Other CE, ECE, ENGR, ME or MSE courses can be substituted with an advisor’s permission. Students pursuing a Mechanical Engineering specialization should take CE 27300, ME 31200, ME 31300, and ME 41600. Students pursuing an Electrical Engineering specialization should take ECE 27500, ECE 33500, and ECE 37000.

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, check out “What Can I Do With this Major?”

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here. Annual FAFSA filing deadline is March 10. Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to stay eligible for the standard financial aid award.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester. Certain exclusions apply.