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Engineering Physics

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

This is engineering for students who love physics and physics for students who love building. Coursework dives deep into classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics, alongside engineering math, materials, and design. Many programs are small and cohort-based, with lots of contact between students and faculty researchers.

Senior projects often happen inside a research lab, involving things like lasers, plasma, particle accelerators, or advanced simulation.

What you'll do after college

Grads work at national labs, defense contractors, semiconductor companies, aerospace firms, research institutes, and quant finance shops that prize strong analytical skills. Many pursue PhDs because the major is excellent preparation for cutting-edge research in physics, materials, or applied math.

Day-to-day work tends to be technical and quantitative, mixing theory, simulation, and experiment. Pay is comparable to other engineering paths, especially after grad school.

Famous graduates

  • George Pake — Physicist who helped found Xerox PARC; B.S./M.S. in Engineering Physics from Carnegie Mellon
  • Paul McEuen — Prominent nanoscale physicist; B.S. in Engineering Physics from University of Oklahoma

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$102,155
66
100–60%
$99,794
164
55–29%
$128,319
83
13–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$102,058
70
400–1370
$101,632
167
1370–1470
$133,405
55
1480–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$91,073p10 $132,200p90 STEM Non-Research Public University Religious University Private University Public University 1–25 Private University 21–40 Private University 1–20 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology · $98,521 Kettering University · $94,475 Pennsylvania State University · $100,117 University of Colorado Boulder · $111,748 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $98,264 Michigan Technological University · $93,069 University of New Hampshire · $91,073 Arkansas Tech University · $78,267 University of Arizona · $93,254 Arizona State University · $93,172 Santa Clara University · $117,951 Loyola Marymount University · $97,470 LeTourneau University · $82,282 University of Tulsa · $95,357 Illinois Institute of Technology · $102,068 University of California, Berkeley · $116,961 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor · $115,000 Colorado School of Mines · $96,528 Ohio State University · $89,119 Case Western Reserve University · $105,077 New York University · $117,199 Boston University · $120,991 Lehigh University · $103,330 Worcester Polytechnic Institute · $114,159 University of Rochester · $108,714 Yale University · $155,000 Cornell University · $133,657 Dartmouth · $132,200 Columbia University · $142,559 Tufts University · $131,003 STEM Non-Research: mean $96,498 Public University: mean $94,871 Religious University: mean $98,265 Private University: mean $102,068 Public University 1–25: mean $104,402 Private University 21–40: mean $111,578 Private University 1–20: mean $138,884 All colleges: p10 $91,073 All colleges: p90 $132,200
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Engineering Physics 35 313 73% / 27% 9% $106,917 95%
Engineering Physics 30 219 74% / 26% 5% $105,601 95%
Optical Engineering 1 40 65% / 35% 28% $108,714 94%
Engineering Science 1 25 72% / 28% 16% $100,117 97%
Applied Physics 3 20 80% / 20% 5% $130,244 94%
Laser and Optical Engineering 1 9 78% / 22% 0% $98,012 91%