Engineering Physics Undergraduate Program
The engineering physics program is designed for undergraduates with an interest in both science and engineering. The program is focused on those students who wish to work in areas of rapid technological change, where a good background in the underlying science is an important ingredient to a successful career. The curriculum includes classical and modern physics, mathematics, and their applications to one or more areas of engineering, thus allowing students to learn the physical science and engineering principles underlying modern technology. Four design concentrations are offered:
- Aerospace Systems: Aircraft track OR Spacecraft track
- Chemical Systems
- Digital Electronic Systems
- Electromechanical Control Systems
Each option incorporates a significant design component and provides a strong base in one or more engineering disciplines. The degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.
For programs in physics, see Physics and Astronomy in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section of the online catalog.
Educational Objectives
The program educational objectives are broad statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a few years after graduation. Engineering physics graduates will be capable of:
- Completing or successfully progressing toward completion of an advanced degree in graduate or professional school,
- Using their analytical, problem-solving, and communications skills to conduct research or contribute to technology development projects, individually or as a team member,
- Using their background knowledge in physics and engineering fundamentals as a foundation for developing new knowledge and experience in their chosen disciplines.
Careers
Professional Opportunities
The broad training and technical breadth of the engineering physics degree program provide students a unique flexibility in their future careers. They have the science background to pursue pure research opportunities, the engineering and design experience to solve practical problems in industry or a variety of other settings, and the understanding to act as a communication link between highly diversified divisions of an organization. Engineering physics graduates typically work in aerospace and avionic industries, electronics industries, research and development laboratories, telecommunications, design and consulting firms, and government agencies, such as defense contractors. The degree program also prepares students to attend graduate or professional school in physics, engineering or related disciplines.
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics is a collaborative program between the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the School of Engineering. As such, there are no specific additional requirements for admission beyond those listed below for the entire School of Engineering.
Undergraduate Admission to the School of Engineering
Admission to the KU School of Engineering (and its degree programs) is selective. Students may be admitted to an engineering or computer science degree program as freshmen (first year) students, but all admissions, for both in-state and out-of-state students, are selective. Applications are judged on several factors, such as high school record, scores on national tests, academic record at college or university level, and trend of grades and more. High school transcripts are required.
Minimum Academic Standards for Admission to the School of Engineering
To be considered for admission to the School of Engineering, beginning first-year students must meet or exceed the following minimum standards:
- Must be admissible to the University of Kansas by assured admissions or individual review, AND
- Have a 3.0+ high school GPA, AND
- Demonstrate mathematics preparedness by:
- Obtaining a mathematics ACT score of 22+ (or math SAT score of 540+), or
- Achieving a ‘B’ or better in ‘college algebra’ or a more advanced mathematics course, or
- Achieving a ‘C’ or better in a high school calculus course; or
- Earning credit via IB or AP credit for the above-mentioned courses in accordance with KU placement credit requirements; or
- Achieving at minimum a qualifying score for MATH 104 on the ALEKS mathematics placement exam.
Minimum Academic Standards for Direct Admission into Degree Program for incoming Freshmen
Students with a 26+ Math ACT (600+ Math SAT) or meet eligibility requirements for MATH 125 (Calculus I) may be admitted directly into their chosen major, with the exception of those seeking admission into the Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and Interdisciplinary Computing (EECS) majors. For EECS program admission, students must:
- Be admissible to the University of Kansas by assured admissions or individual review, AND
- Have a 3.0+ high school GPA, AND
- Demonstrate mathematics preparedness by:
- Obtaining a mathematics ACT score of 28+ (or math SAT score of 660+), or
- Achieving a ‘C’ or better in a high school calculus course; or
- Earning credit via IB or AP credit for the above-mentioned course in accordance with KU placement credit requirements; or
- Achieving at minimum a qualifying score for MATH 125 on the ALEKS mathematics placement exam.
Students who are not admissible to their desired major are admitted to the School of Engineering as undecided engineering undergraduate students.
Exploring Engineering
Students not admitted directly to the School of Engineering or their major but who are admissible to the university may be admitted to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences as an Undecided student. They can later re-apply to the School of Engineering during the semester they are completing the admission requirements for transfer students.
Transfer Admission Standards
Applications from all transfer students, whether from other institutions or from other academic schools at the University of Kansas, are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Transfer students must be admissible to KU AND have a cumulative college transferable grade-point average of 2.5+ to be considered. In addition, students must have grades of "C" or better in those courses in math (must include MATH 125 Calculus I or equivalent), science, and engineering applicable to the engineering degree.
Current KU Students admitted to other academic units may apply to the School of Engineering by completing a Change of School form.
Already Applied to KU, But Not Engineering?
Don't worry. It's not too late to change your mind if you’ve already applied to KU and selected a major outside the School of Engineering. If you think one of the 12 engineering or computer science majors is a better fit for your talents, you can still change your requested major — preferably before May 1 — and be considered for admission to the School of Engineering and all the benefits that go with it.
To update your application, visit Undergraduate Admissions and click on “Change application term, major, mailing address, and/or email address.”
Please contact a member of our recruitment team, 785-864-3881, if you have any difficulty.
Application Deadlines For New Freshman and Transfer Applicants
Graduate Admission Deadlines Semester | Applicants | Deadline |
September 15 | Priority deadline for current KU students to apply for spring admission to Engineering. | |
November 1 | Final deadline for scholarship consideration for incoming freshmen planning to enter in fall or summer semesters. | |
December 1 | Final deadline to apply for the Self Engineering Leadership Fellows Program for incoming freshmen | |
February 1 | Final deadline for scholarship consideration for transfer students planning to enter in fall or summer semesters. Applications available for the Engineering Learning Community | |
February 15 | Priority deadline for current KU students to apply for summer or fall admission to Engineering. | |
May 1 | Enrollment Deposit due. | |
First- and Second-Year Preparation
Recommended enrollments for the first 2 years vary with the design concentration selected (see below). Consult a departmental advisor as early as possible. Courses common to all concentrations are
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics Degree Requirements
Each student takes a common core of courses and selects 1 of 4 design concentrations.
Common Core
Design Concentrations
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
CHEM 130 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
or CHEM 150 | Chemistry for Engineers |
or CHEM 190 & CHEM 191 | Foundations of Chemistry I, Honors and Foundations of Chemistry I Laboratory, Honors |
AE 211 | Computing for Engineers | 3 |
or EECS 138 | Introduction to Computing: _____ |
AE 245 | Introduction to Aerospace Engineering | 3 |
AE 345 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
or C&PE 511 | Momentum Transfer |
or ME 510 | Fluid Mechanics |
AE 421 | Aerospace Computer Graphics | 3 |
or ME 228 | Computer Graphics |
AE 445 | Aircraft Aerodynamics and Performance | 3 |
AE 507 | Aerospace Structures I | 3 |
or AE 506 | Aerospace Structures I, Honors |
AE 545 | Fundamentals of Aerodynamics | 4 |
or AE 546 | Aerodynamics, Honors |
AE 550 | Dynamics of Flight I | 4 |
AE 551 | Dynamics of Flight II | 4 |
or AE 552 | Honors Dynamics of Flight II |
AE 572 | Fundamentals of Jet Propulsion | 3 |
or AE 573 | Honors Propulsion |
C&PE 221 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
or ME 212 | Basic Engineering Thermodynamics |
CE 260 | Statics and Dynamics | 5 |
CE 310 | Strength of Materials | 4 |
or CE 312 | Strength of Materials, Honors |
EPHX 536 | Electronic Circuit Measurement and Design | 4 |
or PHSX 536 | Electronic Circuit Measurement and Design |
or EECS 316 & EECS 318 | Circuits, Electronics and Instrumentation and Circuits and Electronics Lab |
| 7 |
| |
| Aerospace Structures II (3) | |
| Honors Aerospace Structures II |
| Aerospace Systems Design I (4) | |
| |
| Space Systems Design I | |
| Space Systems Design II (4) | |
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
CHEM 170 | Chemistry for the Chemical Sciences I | 5 |
or CHEM 130 | General Chemistry I |
or CHEM 190 & CHEM 191 | Foundations of Chemistry I, Honors and Foundations of Chemistry I Laboratory, Honors |
CHEM 175 | Chemistry for the Chemical Sciences II | 5 |
or CHEM 135 | General Chemistry II |
or CHEM 195 & CHEM 196 | Foundations of Chemistry II, Honors and Foundations of Chemistry II Laboratory, Honors |
CHEM 330 | Organic Chemistry I | 3 |
or CHEM 380 | Organic Chemistry I, Honors |
CHEM 525 | Physical Chemistry for Engineers | 4 |
or CHEM 530 | Physical Chemistry I |
C&PE 211 | Material and Energy Balances | 4 |
C&PE 221 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
or ME 212 | Basic Engineering Thermodynamics |
C&PE 325 | Numerical Methods and Statistics for Engineers | 3 |
C&PE 511 | Momentum Transfer | 3 |
or AE 345 | Fluid Mechanics |
or ME 510 | Fluid Mechanics |
C&PE 512 | Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics II | 3 |
C&PE 522 | Economic Appraisal of Chemical and Petroleum Projects | 2 |
C&PE 524 | Chemical Engineering Kinetics and Reactor Design | 3 |
C&PE 525 | Heat and Mass Transfer | 4 |
C&PE 611 | Design of Unit Operations | 3 |
C&PE 613 | Chemical Engineering Design I | 4 |
C&PE 615 | Introduction to Process Dynamics and Control | 3 |
C&PE 616 | Chemical Engineering Laboratory I | 4 |
C&PE 626 | Chemical Engineering Laboratory II | 3 |
EPHX 536 | Electronic Circuit Measurement and Design | 4 |
or PHSX 536 | Electronic Circuit Measurement and Design |
or EECS 316 & EECS 318 | Circuits, Electronics and Instrumentation and Circuits and Electronics Lab |
EPHX 611 | Introductory Quantum Mechanics | 3 |
or PHSX 611 | Introductory Quantum Mechanics |
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
CHEM 130 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
or CHEM 150 | Chemistry for Engineers |
or CHEM 170 | Chemistry for the Chemical Sciences I |
or CHEM 190 & CHEM 191 | Foundations of Chemistry I, Honors and Foundations of Chemistry I Laboratory, Honors |
EECS 140 | Introduction to Digital Logic Design | 4 |
or EECS 141 | Introduction to Digital Logic: Honors |
EECS 168 | Programming I | 4 |
or EECS 169 | Programming I: Honors |
EECS 268 | Programming II | 4 |
EECS 202 | Circuits I | 4 |
EECS 212 | Circuits II | 4 |
EECS 312 | Electronic Circuits I | 3 |
EECS 348 | Software Engineering I | 4 |
EECS 361 | Signal and System Analysis | 3 |
EECS 388 | Embedded Systems | 4 |
EECS 443 | Digital Systems Design | 4 |
EECS 470 | Electronic Devices and Properties of Materials | 3 |
MATH 526 | Applied Mathematical Statistics I (We also accept MATH 628, but MATH 628 is offered only in the spring and requires MATH 627 as a prerequisite) | 3 |
or MATH 628 | Mathematical Theory of Statistics |
EECS 541 | Computer Systems Design Laboratory I | 3 |
EECS 542 | Computer Systems Design Laboratory II | 3 |
EECS 645 | Computer Systems Architecture | 3 |
Must be 400 level or above | 3 |
EPHX 611 | Introductory Quantum Mechanics | 3 |
or PHSX 611 | Introductory Quantum Mechanics |
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
CHEM 130 | General Chemistry I | 5 |
or CHEM 150 | Chemistry for Engineers |
or CHEM 190 & CHEM 191 | Foundations of Chemistry I, Honors and Foundations of Chemistry I Laboratory, Honors |
EECS 140 | Introduction to Digital Logic Design | 4 |
or EECS 141 | Introduction to Digital Logic: Honors |
EECS 168 | Programming I | 4 |
or EECS 169 | Programming I: Honors |
EECS 268 | Programming II | 4 |
EECS 202 | Circuits I | 4 |
EECS 212 | Circuits II | 4 |
EECS 312 | Electronic Circuits I | 3 |
EECS 361 | Signal and System Analysis | 3 |
EECS 444 | Control Systems | 3 |
or ME 682 | System Dynamics and Control Systems |
EPHX 611 | Introductory Quantum Mechanics | 3 |
or PHSX 611 | Introductory Quantum Mechanics |
ME 210 | Introduction to Mechanics | 1 |
ME 228 | Computer Graphics | 3 |
ME 311 | Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
or CE 310 & ME 309 | Strength of Materials and Introduction to Mechanical Design |
ME 212 | Basic Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
ME 501 | Mechanical Engineering Design Process | 2 |
ME 628 | Mechanical Design | 3 |
ME 640 | Design Project | 2-3 |
or ME 627 | Automotive Design |
| 2-4 |
| Design Project Option A | |
| Design Project Option B (Students must complete ME 627 in the previous semester.) | |
| Design Project Option C (Students must complete ME 633 in the previous semester.) | |
Must be 500 level or above | 3 |
Graduation Plans
A suggested graduation plan for each of the design concentrations is available on the Engineering Physics website.
Departmental Honors
Engineering physics undergraduates may graduate with departmental honors by achieving a minimum grade-point average of 3.5 in major courses taken in residence and at other institutions, by completing at least 1 credit hour of undergraduate research with a grade of B or better in EPHX 501 or EPHX 503, and the results presented in a manner specified by the Department. Please see your advisor for details.