UMass Boston

Engineering Physics BS

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Earn a bachelor's that breaks down barriers between engineering and physics.

Engineering physics is a branch of applied science that emphasizes both engineering and physics. It is a challenging general alternative to the traditionally more specialized undergraduate engineering curricula, offering flexible options for professional growth.

The engineering physics curriculum is designed to provide a firm foundation of basic scientific principles, as well as the theoretical knowledge and skills required for specific engineering applications. The curriculum is equally suitable for students intending to pursue careers in industrial research and development, and for those preparing for graduate studies in a variety of scientific and technical areas.

The basic engineering physics curriculum consists of the first two years of a standard engineering program, followed by upper-division courses equivalent to those required for a bachelor of science degree in physics. Students select a concentration of technical electives in one of a number of currently marketable areas: applied physics, properties of materials, computer science, or digital electronics. Students receive realistic, practical, problem oriented training in an advanced projects laboratory and seminar, designed with the cooperation of representatives from some of Massachusetts' outstanding high-tech industrial firms.

Plan Your Education

How to Apply

Apply for Admission

Please review the first-year and transfer apply pages for important information about application requirements, deadlines, and application status check.

Apply as a First-Year Student

Apply as a Transfer Student

Financing Your Education

Become a Beacon and pursue your passion in UMass Boston’s diverse, supportive environment. Many students across our 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs receive financial aid—providing access to an education that’s exceptional and affordable. Click below to learn more about financial aid opportunities and deadlines.

Financial Aid Deadlines & Application Process

Scholarships for First-Year & Transfer Students

Deadlines and Cost

Early action deadline: November 1; Regular Decision Deadline: June 15

Financing Your Education

Become a Beacon and pursue your passion in UMass Boston’s diverse, supportive environment. Many students across our 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs receive financial aid—providing access to an education that’s exceptional and affordable. Click below to learn more about financial aid opportunities and deadlines.

Financial Aid Deadlines & Application Process 

Scholarships for First-Year & Transfer Students

For additional information regarding tuition and fees, please visit the Bursar’s Office or send an email to Bursar@umb.edu.

Curriculum

Major Requirements

Complete at least 97 credits from 33 to 34 courses including eighteen introductory courses, nine intermediate and advanced courses, and six to seven concentration courses.

Concentration: Students must choose a concentration from applied physics, computer science, digital electronics, organic chemistry, or physical chemistry. 

GPA: A minimum GPA of 2.0 is required from all courses applied toward the major.
Pass/fail: No courses taken pass/fail except for introductory chemistry (CHEM 115, CHEM 116, CHEM 117, CHEM 118) and CS 110 may be applied toward the major.

  • Students in the organic or physical chemistry concentrations may not appy intoductory chemistry courses taken pass/fail toward the major
  • Students in the computer science area of concentration may not apply CS 110 taken pass/fail toward the major

Course Requirements

Introductory Courses (52 Credits)

Physics

  • PHYSIC 113 - Fundamentals of Physics I 4 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 114 - Fundamentals of Physics II 4 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 181 - Physics Laboratory I 2 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 182 - Physics Laboratory II 2 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 211 - Introduction to Contemporary Physics 3 Credit(s)
    Engineering
  • ENGIN 103 - Introduction to Engineering 3 Credit(s)

  • or

  • ENGIN 104 - Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 231 - Circuit Analysis I 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 232 - Circuit Analysis II 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 271 - Circuit Lab I 1 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 272 - Circuit Lab II 1 Credit(s)Mathematics
  • MATH 140 - Calculus I 4 Credit(s)
  • MATH 141 - Calculus II 4 Credit(s)
  • MATH 242 - Multivariable and Vector Calculus 4 Credit(s)
    Computer Science
  • CS 110 - Introduction to Computing 4 Credit(s)
    Chemistry
  • CHEM 115 - Chemical Principles I Lecture 3 Credit(s)
  • CHEM 116 - Chemical Principles II Lecture 3 Credit(s)
  • CHEM 117 - Chemical Principles I Laboratory 2 Credit(s)
  • CHEM 118 - Chemical Principles II Laboratory 2 Credit(s)

Intermediate and Advanced Courses (27 to 28 Credits)

  • Intermediate Physics

  • PHYSIC 214 - Thermodynamics 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 312 - Mechanics 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 321 - Theory of Electricity and Magnetism I 3 Credit(s)


  • Laboratory Courses (complete three)

  • PHYSIC 281 - Physical Laboratory I 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 382 - Intermediate Laboratory 3 Credit(s)

  •  

  • ENGIN 241 - Digital Systems with Lab 4 Credit(s)

  • or

  • ENGIN 304 - Engineering Design 3 Credit(s)

  • or

  • ENGIN 365 - Electronics I with Lab 4 Credit(s)

  • or

  • PHYSIC 298 - Special Topics Laboratory 1-3 Credit(s)

  • or

  • PHYSIC 398 - Special Topics Laboratory 1-3 Credit(s)


  • Advanced Physics

  • PHYSIC 322 - Theory of Electricity and Magnetism II 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 421 - Atomic Physics and Introduction to Quantum Mechanics 3 Credit(s)


  • Mathematics

  • MATH 270 - Applied Ordinary Differential Equations 3 Credit(s)

Concentration (18 to 21 Credits)

Choose a concentration from below.


 


  

Applied Physics Concentration

Concentration Requirements

Complete 18 to 20 credits from six courses including three engineering electives and three applied physics electives.

Course Requirements

Engineering Electives (9 to 10 Credits)

Complete three from below

  • ENGIN 202 - Statics (Mechanical Engineering) 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 211L - Engineering Mathematics 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 221 - Strength of Materials I 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 321 - Signals and Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 322 - Probability and Random Processes 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 331 - Fields & Waves 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 346 - Embedded Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 351 - Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 366 - Electronics II with Lab 4 Credit(s)

Applied Physics Electives (9 to 10 Credits)

Complete three from below

  • PHYSIC 247 - Quantum Information I: Fundamentals of Quantum Physics 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 297 - Special Topics in Physics 1-3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 331 - Optics 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 347 - Quantum Information II: Quantum Computation 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 350 - Statistical Physics 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 351 - Quantum Information III: Physics and Information 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 362 - Computational Science 4 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 397 - Special Topics in Physics 1-3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 447 - Quantum Information IV: Quantum Science Applications 3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 479 - Readings in Physics I 1-4 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 480 - Readings in Physics II 1-3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 487 - Research in Physics I 1-3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 488 - Research Physics II 1-3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 497 - Special Topics in Physics 1-3 Credit(s)
  • PHYSIC 498 - Special Topics Laboratory 1-3 Credit(s)

Computer Science Concentration

Concentration Requirements

Complete at least 19 credits from six courses including two engineering electives, two required computer science courses, and two computer science electives.

Course Requirements

Engineering Electives (6 to 7 Credits)

Complete two from below.

  • ENGIN 202 - Statics (Mechanical Engineering) 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 211L - Engineering Mathematics 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 221 - Strength of Materials I 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 321 - Signals and Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 322 - Probability and Random Processes 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 331 - Fields & Waves 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 346 - Embedded Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 351 - Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 366 - Electronics II with Lab 4 Credit(s)

Required Computer Science Courses (7 Credits)

  • CS 210 - Intermediate Computing with Data Structures 4 Credit(s)
  • CS 240 - Programming in C 3 Credit(s)

Computer Science Electives (6 Credits)

Complete two courses from CS 310 and higher.

 

Digital Electronics Concentration

Concentration Requirements

Complete at least 19 credits from six courses including two engineering electives, two required computer science courses, and two digital electronics electives.

Course Requirements

Engineering Electives (6 to 7 Credits)

Complete two from below.

  • ENGIN 202 - Statics (Mechanical Engineering) 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 211L - Engineering Mathematics 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 221 - Strength of Materials I 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 321 - Signals and Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 322 - Probability and Random Processes 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 331 - Fields & Waves 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 346 - Embedded Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 351 - Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 366 - Electronics II with Lab 4 Credit(s)

Required Computer Science Courses (7 Credits)

  • CS 210 - Intermediate Computing with Data Structures 4 Credit(s)
  • CS 240 - Programming in C 3 Credit(s)

Digital Electronics Electives (6 to 7 Credits)

Complete two from below.

  • ENGIN 341 - Advanced Digital Design 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 346 - Embedded Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 351 - Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 366 - Electronics II with Lab 4 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 441 - System on Chip (SoC) Design 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 446 - Computer Architecture Design 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 451 - Semiconductor Device Design, Simulation and Fabrication 3 Credit(s)

Organic Chemistry Concentration

Concentration Requirements

Complete at least 18 credits from six to seven courses including two engineering electives and four track courses.

Course Requirements

Engineering Electives (6 to 7 Credits)

Complete two from below.

  • ENGIN 202 - Statics (Mechanical Engineering) 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 211L - Engineering Mathematics 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 221 - Strength of Materials I 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 321 - Signals and Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 322 - Probability and Random Processes 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 331 - Fields & Waves 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 346 - Embedded Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 351 - Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 366 - Electronics II with Lab 4 Credit(s)

Organic Chemistry Courses (13 Credits)

  • CHEM 251 - Organic Chemistry I Lecture 3 Credit(s)
  • CHEM 252 - Organic Chemistry II Lecture 3 Credit(s)
  • CHEM 255 - Organic Chemistry I Laboratory 2 Credit(s)
  • CHEM 256 - Organic Chemistry II Laboratory 2 Credit(s)
  • CHEM 351 - Organic Qualitative Analysis 3 Credit(s)

Physical Chemistry Concentration

Concentration Requirements

Complete at least 18 credits from 6 courses including two engineering electives and four physical chemistry courses.

Course Requirements

Engineering Electives (6 to 7 Credits)

Complete two from below

  • ENGIN 202 - Statics (Mechanical Engineering) 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 211L - Engineering Mathematics 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 221 - Strength of Materials I 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 321 - Signals and Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 322 - Probability and Random Processes 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 331 - Fields & Waves 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 346 - Embedded Systems 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 351 - Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices 3 Credit(s)
  • ENGIN 366 - Electronics II with Lab 4 Credit(s)

Physical Chemistry Courses (12 Credits)

  • CHEM 312 - Physical Chemistry 4 Credit(s)
    and
  • CHEM 314 - Physical Chemistry Laboratory 2 Credit(s)
    Choose one pair from the following:
  • CHEM 311 - Analytical Chemistry 4 Credit(s)
    and
  • CHEM 313 - Analytical Chemistry Laboratory 2 Credit(s)
  • CHEM 369 - Chemical Structure 4 Credit(s)
    and
  • CHEM 379 - Chemical Structure Lab 2 Credit(s)

2 students work with a long tube in lab.

Department of Physics

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