Engineering Physics Major

Engineering physics is a major that typically falls into the Engineering category.

There are 2 programs available throughout the country that offer an associate’s degree in engineering physics, 113 that offer a bachelor’s degree, and 21 that offer a master’s degree. There are also at least 16 schools in the nation where you can get your doctorate degree in the field.

Who Is Getting an Engineering Physics Degree?

This is a less frequently chosen major. Only 600 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics in 2017. This major tends to be male dominated. About 80.7% of recent graduates are men.

Racial Distribution

At the countrywide level, the racial distribution of engineering physics majors is as follows:

• Asian: 9.9%
• Black or African American: 3%
• Hispanic or Latino: 6.8%
• White: 66.6%
• Non-Resident Alien: 7.5%
• Other Races: 6.1%

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in engineering physics. About 7.5% of those graduating in 2017 were international students. The most popular countries sending engineering physics majors to the U.S. are China, India and Saudi Arabia.

What Will You Learn as an Engineering Physics Major?

An O*NET survey asked people with careers related to engineering physics to rate how important certain subject areas were to their job. The following are some of the results of that survey. Importance was rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Engineering Physics Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

Skills for Engineering Physics Majors

A major in engineering physics prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

Abilities for Engineering Physics Majors

As you progress with your engineering physics degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

What Can You Do With an Engineering Physics Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with engineering physics:

Careers Related to Engineering Physics

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Physicists	14.5%	$120,950
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Photonics Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Nanosystems Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Validation Engineers	6.4%	$96,980
Engineering Professors	14.7%	$101,720

Engineering Physics Major Salary

Engineering physics majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $114,000 to $140,000. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, the typical high school graduate makes between $29,000 and $57,000 a year. The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $44,000 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,000 and $120,000.

Your salary will be largely dependent on the career path you follow and what area of the country (or world) you work. Getting a graduate degree may open up more options with higher salary potential.

Amount of Education Required for Engineering Physics Major Jobs

Some careers associated with engineering physics require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for engineering physics careers below.

Education Levels for Careers Associated With Engineering Physics

Level of Education	Percentage of Workers
Less Than a High School Diploma	0%
High School Diploma or Equivalent	0.2%
Post-Secondary Certificate	0%
Some College Courses	0.2%
Associate's Degree or Equivalent	2%
Bachelor's Degree	41%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate	4.3%
Master's Degree	24.2%
Post-Master's Certificate	2.8%
First Professional Degree	0.6%
Doctoral Degree	16.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.1%

Online Engineering Physics Programs

There are 113 colleges that offer a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics, with 0 of them offering at least some courses online.

Online learners must listen or watch video lectures, participate in group chats or forums, submit papers and assignments electronically, take tests, and meet deadlines.

Many learners are drawn to online programs due to the ease of use and flexibility. Students should be warned that those who enroll in online programs can take longer to graduate than average and are more likely to drop out.

Is an Engineering Physics Major Worth It?

The median salary for an engineering physics grad is $125,000 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 222% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,727,600 after 20 years!

Related Majors

• General Engineering
• Aeronautical Engineering
• Agricultural Engineering
• Architectural Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Ceramic Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Engineering
• Computer Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Engineering Mechanics
• Engineering Physics
• Engineering Science
• Environmental Engineering
• Materials Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Metallurgical Engineering
• Mining Engineering
• Marine Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering
• Ocean Engineering
• Petroleum Engineering
• Systems Engineering
• Textile Engineering
• Polymer & Plastics Engineering
• Construction Engineering
• Forest Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• Manufacturing Engineering
• Operations Research
• Surveying Engineering
• Geoscience Engineering
• Paper Science & Engineering
• Electromechanical Engineering
• Robotics Engineering
• Biochemical Engineering
• Engineering Chemistry
• Biological Engineering
• Other Engineering

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
O*NET Online
Image Credit: NASA via License