Engineering Physics

Degree Requirements

  Degree Progress: Enrolled students can review program requirements and track progress toward degree completion using the university’s degree audit and advising tool, Degree Works.

This program is offered through a partnership between the Commonwealth campuses and Penn State. Students can begin this program at Bloomsburg, Lock Haven or Mansfield for their first three years, and complete their degree for two years at Penn State. Students must be admissible at Penn State to continue in the program. Please check with the CU academic department on requirements.

• Only new freshmen are eligible for the 3+2 program.
• Students transferring from another college or university are encouraged to pursue other options at Commonwealth University, such as Physics, Electronics Engineering Technology, or Radiation Science.
• The 3+2 program is intended for academically advanced students. Ideally, you should start your first semester with Calculus 1 rather than Pre-Calculus. The ALEKS math placement test can be taken multiple times, and online tutorials are provided. An ALEKS score of 76 or greater is needed to place into Calculus 1.
• In your first three years, you need to complete the B.A. Physics degree requirements, additional courses for Penn State, and general-education points (GEPs). It's a tight schedule that requires close consultation with your academic advisor. This consultation should begin before you start your first semester. Courses fill up quickly, so please secure your freshman schedule well in advance of the beginning of the semester.
• A minimum GPA of 3.00 is required for entry into most Penn State engineering majors. Penn State calculates GPA slightly differently from Commonwealth University, so please consult with your advisor. Penn State will also check that you've completed the necessary coursework. To be transferable to Penn State, Commonwealth University courses must have a grade of C or better.

Degree Requirements

  Degree Progress: Enrolled students can review program requirements and track progress toward degree completion using the university’s degree audit and advising tool, Degree Works.

Upon successful completion of any Engineering Physics program, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate foundational knowledge of Classical Mechanics
2. Demonstrate foundational knowledge of Electricity and Magnetism
3. Demonstrate foundational knowledge of Optics
4. Demonstrate foundational knowledge of Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
5. Demonstrate foundational knowledge of Modern Physics
6. Apply analytical skills including applications of various coordinate systems, differential and boundary equations, algebraic methods, generalized Fourier series, analytic approximation, physical interpretation of limiting cases, and differential calculus
7. Demonstrate experimental skills including the ability to design, construct and assemble experimental apparatuses; conduct and analyze measurements of physical phenomena; assess experimental uncertainty; conduct literature reviews; and make meaningful comparisons between experiment and theory
8. Clearly communicate engineering information with scientists, engineers and the general public in both written and oral form