Engineering Physics

Types of Degrees Engineering Physics Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many engineering physics graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	683
Master’s Degree	133
Doctor’s Degree	88
Graduate Certificate	61
Associate’s Degree	14

What Engineering Physics Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, engineering physics majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Engineering Physics Majors

Engineering Physics majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.

Skills for Engineering Physics Majors

When studying engineering physics, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Engineering Physics Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a engineering physics student include the following:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Engineering Physics Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with engineering physics:

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

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Physics?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 683 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics in 2019, making it rank #181 in popularity. This major tends to be male dominated. About 80% of recent graduates are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	57
Black or African American	46
Hispanic or Latino	45
White	422
International Students	60
Other Races/Ethnicities	53

Geographic Diversity

Engineering Physics appeals to people across the globe. About 8.8% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• India
• Saudi Arabia
• Nepal
• South Korea

How Much Do Engineering Physics Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that engineering physics students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a bachelor’s degree made a median starting salary of $61,050 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $56,125 (25th percentile) and $64,600 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in engineering physics, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Engineering Physics majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $113,680 to $139,680 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Engineering Physics

Some careers associated with engineering physics require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to engineering physics have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	0.2%
Some College Courses	0.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.0%
Bachelor’s Degree	41.0%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	4.3%
Master’s Degree	24.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.8%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.6%
Doctoral Degree	16.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	7.1%

Online Engineering Physics Programs

In the 2018-2019 academic year, 125 schools offered some type of engineering physics program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	2	1
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	21	0
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	16	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Engineering Physics Worth It?

The median salary for a engineering physics grad is $125,280 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 214% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,707,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Engineering Physics

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to engineering physics.

Major	Number of Grads
Mechanical Engineering	47,405
Electrical Engineering	31,384
Civil Engineering	21,938
Computer Engineering	15,891
Chemical Engineering	14,406
Biomedical Engineering	12,001
General Engineering	11,739
Industrial Engineering	9,410
Aerospace & Aeronautical Engineering	7,069
Materials Engineering	3,538
Systems Engineering	3,491
Other Engineering	2,982
Environmental Engineering	2,850
Petroleum Engineering	2,269
Operations Research	1,745
Agricultural Engineering	1,554
Engineering Science	1,515
Architectural Engineering	1,019
Nuclear Engineering	1,014
Robotics Engineering	943
Manufacturing Engineering	932
Construction Engineering	865
Marine Engineering	481
Geoscience Engineering	424
Polymer & Plastics Engineering	387
Biological Engineering	374
Textile Engineering	366
Ocean Engineering	346
Mining Engineering	340
Engineering Mechanics	314
Metallurgical Engineering	235
Biochemical Engineering	118
Ceramic Engineering	101
Surveying Engineering	89
Electromechanical Engineering	65
Forest Engineering	52
Paper Science & Engineering	44
Engineering Chemistry	9

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By NASA under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.