University of St. Thomas now offers its first engineering degree, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics.

This new, four-year degree is offered in addition to the 3:2 pre-engineering program. It offers an opportunity for engineering students to stay at UST one more year and finish their education here rather than switching after three years to an engineering program at another university for two additional years.

What is Engineering Physics?

Engineering Physics is a relatively new field in engineering. The degree prepares students with a strong interest in both engineering and physics for a career in industry, either directly following their undergraduate studies or after additional graduate studies in engineering or physics. The degree encompasses both a rigorous course of study in physics as well as a strong foundation in an engineering core. By focusing on the scientific method, graduates of the program will be able to design, develop and apply new solutions in engineering.

Lucrative and Rewarding Career Path

Many employers, especially in industrial research and development, value this combination of the unique problem-solving approach of physics and knowledge in engineering core subjects. Career options range from research and development in science and engineering to education, medicine, law, and business. Salaries for the 10 best jobs for engineering physics majors out of college start from $68,000 to $102,000.

“This education at the intersection of engineering and physics will enable students to seek employment in various engineering fields upon graduation,” Dr. Brigit Mellis, chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering, said. “Graduates of the engineering physics degree program will have developed sufficient depth in both engineering and physics skills to become engineers who can apply fundamental physics principles to practical engineering problems, and will possess the versatility to address new problems in our rapidly changing technological world.”

Receiving your Engineering Physics degree from University of St. Thomas, a liberal arts university, has special advantages, which are cherished by employers, such as the development of soft skills including communication, writing and critical thinking.

“Our department aims to support UST’s mission as a place where the faithful can pursue physics and engineering, both as a lucrative and rewarding career path, but more deeply as a path in the contemplation and worship of God’s creation, from exotic sub-atomic particles, to great spiral galaxies, to fundamental questions about the Big Bang and the very beginnings of space and time,” Mellis said.

Study of Physics Led to Engineering Marvels of our Age

“We also affirm St. Teresa of Avila’s remark, ‘It is most profitable to ponder over the grandeurs of creation,’ for indeed, the study of physics has led to the engineering marvels of our age, from microscopic computer chips, to medical technologies, to overhead GPS communication satellites,” Mellis said.

Special Feature: A Capstone Engineering Design Class

UST is known for its small classes with easy access to professors and it has a close-knit community of engineering students with a balanced male/female student ratio.

“A special feature of the program is that skills accumulated throughout the degree are applied in the fourth year Capstone Engineering Design classes, where students work in small groups under the guidance of a faculty member for one year on one project from idea over design to realization,” Mellis said. “Topics are chosen from various engineering disciplines according to student and faculty interest.”