Engineering Physics
Program Details
Engineering physics explores how physics and engineering come together to find solutions to real-world problems. As a student in the engineering physics major, you’ll learn the mathematical tools important to all scientists and engineers and study how basic physics underlies common rules within engineering fields. By the time you get to the end of the program, you’ll be ideating and conceptualizing real applied projects, building devices and making them work.
Xavier's engineering physics major also provides students a clear path to pursue a 1-year Masters in Engineering or a 2-year, research-based Masters in Science at the University of Cincinnati in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or Civil Engineering.
Xavier University, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is nationally recognized as a top university by U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and Forbes. 98 percent of our students, including those in the engineering physics major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduation (Class of 2021).
Degree Awarded
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics
Curriculum
The sample course sequence below illustrates class offerings for the Engineering Physics major. Consult the official Xavier University course catalog for detailed registration and advising information.
Note: Some classes are taught every other year. This changes the 4-year curriculum schedule based on what year (even or odd) a student starts.
Fall
- ENGR 101: Intro to Engineering............ 3cr.
- PHYS 170: University Physics I............ 3cr.
- PHYS 171: Explorations in Physics ............ 1cr.
- MATH 180: Differential Calculus............ 3cr.
- CORE 100: First Year Seminar............ 3cr.
- CORE 101: GOA............ 0cr.
- Second Language 101 level............ 3cr.
Spring
- PHYS 172: University Physics II............ 3cr.
- ENGR 173: Explorations in Engineering............ 1cr.
- MATH 181: Integral Calculus............ 3cr.
- THEO 111: Theological Foundations............ 3cr.
- CORE 102: GOA II: Beyond Your First Year............ 0cr.
- Second Language 102 level............ 3cr.
- ENGL 101: English Composition............ 3cr.
Fall
- PHYS 330: Modern Physics I............ 3cr.
- PHYS 331: Modern Physics I Lab ............ 2cr.
- PHYS 242: Circuit Analysis............ 3cr.
- PHYS 243: Circuit Analysis Lab............ 1cr.
- MATH 220: Multivariable Calculus............ 5cr.
- Second Language 201 level............ 3cr.
Spring
- ENGR 180: Intro to Comp with MATLAB............ 2cr.
- ENGR 244: Electronics............ 3cr.
- ENGR 245: Electronics Lab............ 1cr.
- PHYS 355: Advanced Lab............ 2cr.
- MATH 230: Intro to Ordinary Differential Equations............ 3cr.
- PHIL 100: Ethics as Intro to Philosophy............ 3cr.
- Theological Perspectives............ 3cr.
Fall
- ENGR 346: Signals and Systems............ 4cr.
- PHYS 350: Theoretical Mechanics............ 3cr.
- PHYS 360: Electromagnetism I............ 3cr.
- Philosophical Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Literature and Moral Imagination............ 3cr.
Spring
- ENGR 366: Optics: Phys & Engineering............ 3cr.
- ENGR 367: Optics: Phys & Engineering Lab............ 1cr.
- ENGR 358: Analog & Digital Communication............ 3cr.
- ENGR 380: Control Systems............ 3cr.
- ENGR 396: Colloquium............ 1cr.
- Historical Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Ethics/Religion and Society (E/RS)............ 3cr.
- CAD Badge............ 0cr.
Fall
- ENGR 354: Microprocessors & Digital Systems............ 4cr.
- ENGR 370: Fluid Mechanics............ 3cr.
- ENGR 395: Senior Design Project I............ 2cr.
- Creative Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Diversity (DCR)............ 3cr.
Spring
- ENGR 342: Material Science............ 3cr.
- ENGR 384: Heat Transfer............ 3cr.
- ENGR 398: Senior Design Project II............ 2cr.
- Social Sciences Elective............ 3cr.
- Humanities Elective............ 3cr.
- CORE 499............ 0cr.
Fall
- ENGR 101: Intro to Fabrication............ 1cr.
- PHYS 170: University Physics I............ 3cr.
- PHYS 171: Explorations in Physics............ 1cr.
- MATH 180: Differential Calculus............ 3cr.
- CORE 100: First Year Seminar............ 3cr.
- CORE 101: Goa I: Transition to Xavier............ 0cr.
- Second Language 101 level............ 3cr.
Spring
- PHYS 172: University Physics II............ 3cr.
- ENGR 173: Explorations in Engineering............ 1cr.
- MATH 181: Integral Calculus............ 3cr.
- THEO 111: Theological Foundations............ 3cr.
- CORE 102: GOA II: Beyond Your First Year............ 0cr.
- Second Language 102 level............ 3cr.
- ENGL 101: English Composition............ 3cr.
Fall
- PHYS 330: Modern Physics I............ 3cr.
- PHYS 331: Modern Physics I Lab............ 2cr.
- PHYS 242: Circuit Analysis............ 3cr.
- PHYS 243: Circuit Analysis Lab............ 1cr.
- MATH 220: Multivariable Calculus............ 5cr.
- Second Language 201 level............ 3cr.
Spring
- ENGR 180: Intro to Comp with MATLAB............ 2cr.
- ENGR 244: Electronics............ 3cr.
- ENGR 245: Electronics Lab............ 1cr.
- PHYS 355: Advanced Lab............ 2cr.
- MATH 230: Intro to Ordinary Differential Equations............ 3cr.
- PHIL 100: Ethics as Intro to Philosophy............ 3cr.
- Theological Perspectives............ 3cr.
Fall
- ENGR 354: Microprocessors & Digital Systems............ 4cr.
- ENGR 370: Fluid Mechanics............ 3cr.
- Creative Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Ethics/Religion and Society (E/RS)............ 3cr.
- Literature and Moral Imagination............ 3cr.
Spring
- ENGR 342: Material Science............ 3cr.
- ENGR 384: Heat Transfer............ 3cr.
- Historical Perspectives............ 3cr.
- Social Sciences Elective............ 3cr.
- Social Sciences Elective............ 3cr.
- CAD Badge............ 0cr.
Fall
- ENGR 346: Signals and Systems............ 4cr.
- ENGR 395: Senior Design Project I............ 2cr.
- PHYS 350: Theoretical Mechanics............ 3cr.
- PHYS 360: Electromagnetism I............ 3cr.
- Diversity (DCR)............ 3cr.
Spring
- ENGR 358: Analog & Digital Communication............ 3cr.
- ENGR 366: Optics: Phys & Engineering............ 3cr.
- ENGR 367: Optics: Phys & Engineering Lab............ 1cr.
- ENGR 380: Control Systems............ 3cr.
- ENGR 396: Colloquium............ 1cr.
- ENGR 398: Senior Design Project II............ 2cr.
- Humanities Elective............ 3cr.
- CORE 499............ 0cr.
Sample Courses
Electronics I (PHYS 242) - Explore the fundamental concepts and laws of electric AC and DC circuits, and apply them to topics such as delta-star conversion, power and power transfer in circuits, impedance, steady state and transient analysis, ideal transformers, operational amplifiers, RLC resonant circuits, and analog filters.
Material Science (ENGR 342) - Investigate the interdisciplinary process of selecting and developing materials for use in physics and engineering applications. Apply your knowledge of glasses, crystals, polymers, composites and biomaterials to better our societal needs.
Microprocessors and Microcontrollers (ENGR 354) - Learn about the architecture of microprocessors and microcontrollers, programming, instruction design, memory hierarchy and Input/Output interfaces, and assembly language programming. Then gain hands on experience with microcontroller programming and system design.
Student Clubs
The following clubs are popular choices for students in the engineering physics major.
Physics Club
The Physics Club organizes events and service opportunities that explore and promote interests in physics to majors, minors and the entire campus community. Beyond the task of promoting physics, these events and gatherings are meant to develop a sense of friendship and growth in all avenues. The Physics Club also supports the Xavier Chapter of Sigma Pi Sigma, the national Physics Honor Society.
Math Club
The Xavier University Mathematics Club promotes the interest of mathematics at Xavier University and facilitates interaction among math undergraduates, graduates and faculty. Also, Mathematics Club links students to the worldwide mathematical community.
Career Outcomes
98% of Xavier students, including those in the engineering physics major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduation (Class of 2021).
Careers: Aeronautical Engineer, Engineering Technician, Engineering Supervisor, Engineering Consultant, Laboratory Technician, Mechanical Designer, Mechanical Engineer, Nuclear Engineer, Project Engineer, Test Engineer, Science Teacher/Professor, Software Engineer, Systems Engineer
More: Xavier's Career Development Office assists students in their search for employment by offering individual career counseling sessions, conducting workshop series on interviewing and resume writing techniques and maintaining an educational, vocational and employer information resource center. More than 100 nationally known companies visit the campus annually to interview graduating seniors for positions in business and industry.
Take the Next Step
Engineering Physics Student Research
Students use state-of-the-art tools to model, fabricate and test their own designs in our fully equipped research center. Areas of research include wearable and flexible technology, wireless and mobile communication systems, fabrication of modern printed electronics and sensors, embedded systems, robotics and microcontroller based applications. The intersections and links between these research areas enable us to consistently advance innovative research projects and address application-oriented demands from both the community and industry.
Senior Capstone Course
All students take a senior capstone course, where they learn the product development process utilized in the engineering community and experience the process from idea conception through production.
Cincinnati: A City of Opportunity
Cincinnati, Ohio features some of the largest companies in the world, which means engineering physics students have countless opportunities for careers, internships and mentorships at places like Kroger, Procter & Gamble, Macy’s and Fifth Third Bancorp. The city is ranked the #1 Best City for College Graduates (smartasset.com) and the #15 Best Place to Start a Career (WalletHub).
Graduate With Honors
Are you looking for an academic challenge? The University Scholars Honors Program offers incoming students a more challenging curriculum and close support from professors while completing their undergraduate degree. Acceptance into the program is highly selective and includes a $2000 travel grant.
Engineering Physics Major at Xavier University
The Engineering Physics major at Xavier University focuses on a set of courses that provides a fundamental understanding of traditional topics in physics including the motion of solid bodies, sound, fluids, electricity, magnetism, and the interaction between light and matter. These “foundational” courses describe how theories about natural phenomena are deduced from experiments and observations, develop the mathematical formalism through which these theories are expressed and present techniques for using this formalism to describe and analyze systems.
Xavier University’s College of Arts and Sciences challenges students to develop an integrated understanding of humanity, the world, and God by pursuing the questions raised in Xavier's core and departmental curricula. The College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest college at Xavier University. The college provides an excellent liberal arts education in the Jesuit tradition that prepares students for careers, professional or graduate school, and life in a global society.
Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. Founded in 1831, the University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation. It has been ranked among the top 10 master's-level universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for the past two decades. The Princeton Review names it one of the "Best 385 Colleges in America."