Engineering Physics Program
2022-23 Engineering Physics UG Major Program (BS, BSH)
The Engineering Physics program is designed for students who have an interest in and an aptitude for both engineering and physics. The program provides students with a firm foundation in physics and mathematics, together with engineering design and problem-solving skills.
This background prepares students to tackle complex problems in multidisciplinary areas that are at the forefront of 21st-century technology, such as aerospace physics, biophysics, computational science, quantum science and engineering, materials science, electromechanical systems, renewable energy, and any engineering field that requires a very solid background in physics. Because the program emphasizes science, mathematics and engineering, students are well prepared to pursue graduate work in either engineering or physics.
The main contacts for the EPhys major are Prof Pat Burchat, Prof Mark Cappelli, or student services administrator Darlene Lazar, located in 135 Huang.
Advising
Many School of Engineering, Physics and Applied Physics faculty members serve as advisors in the Engineering Physics program. They are listed below by Engineering Physics specialty.
Aerospace Physics: Ken Hara, Mark Cappelli, Sigrid Close, Ilan Kroo
Biophysics: Polly Fordyce, Stephen Quake, Jan Liphardt, Andy Spakowitz
Computational Science: Tom Abel, Ron Fedkiw, Patrick Hanrahan
Electromechanical System Design: Mark Cappelli, Sigrid Close
Materials Science: Mark Brongersma, Bruce Clemens, Jen Dionne
Quantum Science and Engineering: Mark Kasevich, Amir Safavi-Naeini
Renewable Energy: Bruce Clemens
COVID-19-Related Grading Exception Period
The Engineering Physics program will count all courses taken Spring 2020 through Summer 2021 with a grade of 'CR' (credit) or 'S' (satisfactory) towards satisfaction of undergraduate degree requirements that otherwise require a letter grade.
EPIC: The Engineering Physics Student Society
Check out the the Engineering Physics Interdisciplinary Community (EPIC) webpage for current news, links, and answers to common questions.
Honors
EPHYS majors have the option to pursue an honors degree (ENGR-BSH, Engineering Physics), applying autumn quarter of the senior year; the deadline to submit a proposal for honors is November 1.
Honors Criteria: Minimum GPA of 3.5 and independent research conducted at an advanced level with a faculty research advisor and documented in an honors thesis. The honors candidate must identify a faculty member who will serve as his or her honors research advisor and a second reader who will be asked to read the thesis and give feedback before endorsing the thesis. One of the two must be a member of the Academic Council and in the School of Engineering.
Application: Application documents should be submitted to Darlene in 135 Huang no later than November 1 of senior year:
- One-page description of the research topic
- Application form signed by the honors thesis advisor
- Unofficial Stanford transcript
Students may enroll for research units in ENGR 199(W) or in departmental courses such as ME 191(H). A completed thesis draft must be submitted to the research advisor and second reader by April 15. For more details on completing the honors requirements, see the EPhys Honors description on the Explore Degrees Majors page.
Summer Research
Engineering Physics majors may participate in on-campus summer research programs in engineering, physics, or applied physics. To conduct research with a faculty member in the School of Engineering, students apply to the summer research program for the department of the faculty mentor. To conduct research with a faculty member in the Physics or Applied Physics Departments or at SLAC, students apply through the Physics, Applied Physics and SLAC program.
EPHYS Program Sheet Excel or PDF version
Requirements
Find current major requirements for this and all other School of Engineering major programs at Explore Degrees
Math and Science Requirements: Includes the following required courses:
Math (18-19 units):
- MATH 51, 52, 53*
- PHYSICS 111 (or MATH 131P, MATH 173, CME 204, or MATH 220)
*The Math 50 series is a corequisite for PHYSICS 61, 71, 81. Although the CME 100 series can be substituted by petition, the Math 50 series is strongly recommended for all Engineering Physics students.
Science:
- PHYSICS (41, 43*, 61, 61L, 71, 71L, 81, 89L)
*Students may be able to place out of Physics 41 and/or 43 based on advice from the Physics Placement Diagnostic.
Technology in Society: One 3-5 unit approved course required; see Approved Courses page for SoE list. The course chosen must be on the Approved list the year it is taken.
Engineering Fundamentals and Depth:
At least 35 of the units in Engineering Fundamentals, Required Depth Classes, Required Depth Electives, and other electives must be School of Engineering (AA, CE, CHEME, CS, EE, ENGR, MS&E, MATSCI, ME) units. ENGR 1, Introductory Seminar, Sophomore College courses, and student-initiated courses are not allowed to fulfill this 35-unit requirement.
Engineering Fundamentals:
Two courses from the ENGR Fundamentals approved list; either PHYSICS 104 or 105 is also acceptable as a substitute for ENGR 40M. A course in computer science, such as CS106A, AX, B, or X, is recommended. Fundamentals courses acceptable for the core program (below) may also be used to satisfy the two-course Fundamentals requirement as long as 35 unduplicated units of engineering are taken.
Engineering Physics Depth - Core Courses Required in All Specialty Areas:
- Advanced Mathematics: One elective such as EE 261, PHYSICS 112, CS 109 or CME 106. Also qualified are EE 263, any Math or Statistics course numbered 100 or above, and any CME course numbered 200 or above, except CME 206.
- Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism: EE (142 and 242) or PHYSICS (120 and 121)
- Numerical Methods: CME 108 (MATH 114) or CME 206/ME 300C or PHYSICS 113
- Electronics Laboratory: ENGR 40M (count units toward ENGR Fundamentals or Electronics Lab, but not both), or EE 101A, or EE 101B, or PHYSICS 104 or 105, or APPPHYS 207
- Writing in the Major (WIM): one of the WIM courses listed for any of the majors; see WIM recommendations for each Specialty area below. Alternatively, ENGR 199W is available to students pursuing an independent research project. PHYS 191, and ENGR 102W are available to any specialty.
- Quantum Mechanics: EE 222 or PHYSICS 130
- Statistical Mechanics (choose one): PHYSICS 170, ME 346A, or MATSCI 310 (not offered every year)
- Design Course: At least one of the following design-project courses must be included in each program:
- AA 136A, CE 107E, CS 108, EE 133, EE 134, EE 155, ME 103, ME 210 or PHYSICS 106 or PHYSICS 108
Three Courses from one of the following Specialty Areas:
Since new courses that are well suited to one of the Engineering Physics Specialty Areas may be introduced at any time, please contact Prof Pat Burchat and Prof Mark Cappelli to petition to use a course not on the current list of options. The course will be evaluated on the basis of relevance to the specialty, and math and physics level and content.
Aerospace Physics: Students develop a deep background in physics and mathematics and apply it to understanding the space environment, and the dynamics, design, and control of space vehicles.
Aerospace Physics: Specialty Electives & Recommended Core Courses
|
Specialty Electives: Choose three courses from: |
Units |
|
|
AA 203 |
Intro to Optimal Control Theory |
3 |
| AA 242A or ME 333A or PHYSICS 110 | Advanced Mechanics & Dynamics | 3 or 4 |
|
AA 244A |
Intro to Plasma Physics & Engineering |
3 |
| AA 244B | Advanced Plasma Physics and Engineering | 3 |
|
AA 251 |
Intro to Space Environment |
3 |
|
AA 279A |
Space Mechanics |
3 |
|
ME 161 |
Dynamic Systems |
4 |
|
Recommended Courses for Aerospace Depth Requirements: |
|
|
|
WIM |
AA 190: Directed Research & Writing in AA |
5 |
|
Design |
AA 236A: Spacecraft Design |
5 |
|
Other |
AA 100: Intro to AA |
3 |
Biophysics: Prepares students to employ methods in physics to the study of biological systems. Students have the opportunity to learn about the physical biology of systems on a broad range of scales, techniques developed in biophysics for imaging, measuring, and manipulating biological systems, and the application of quantitative analysis techniques to topics in biology and genomics.
Biophysics: Specialty Electives & Recommended Core Courses
|
Specialty Electives: Choose three courses from: |
Units |
|
|
BIOE 42 |
Physical Biology |
4 |
|
BIOE 44 |
Fundamentals for Engineering Biology Lab |
4 |
|
BIOE 101 |
Systems Biology |
3 |
|
BIOE 103 |
Systems Physiology and Design |
4 |
|
BIOE 123 |
Bioengineering Systems Prototyping Lab |
4 |
|
BIOE 211 |
Biophysics of Multicellular Systems & Amorphous Computing |
2-3 |
|
BIOE 214 |
Representations & Algorithms for Computational Molecular Biology |
3-4 |
| BIOE 221 | Physics and Engineering of Radionuclide-based Medical Imaging | 3 |
| BIOE 222 | Physics & Engineering Principles for Multi-Modality Molecular Imaging of Living Subjects | 4 |
|
BIO 132 |
Advanced Imaging Lab in Biophysics |
4 |
|
APPPHYS 205 |
Intro to Biophysics |
3-4 |
|
Recommended Courses for Biophysics Depth Requirements: |
|
|
|
WIM/TiS |
BIOE 131 |
5 |
|
Advanced Math |
EE 261 |
3 |
|
Design OR Electronics Lab |
BIOE 123 (if used for Design or Electronics Lab cannot also be one of 3 specialty electives) |
5 |
|
ENGR Fundamental |
BIOE 80 |
3 |
Computational Science: Prepares students to apply modern computational techniques to problems in engineering and applied science, and to the analysis of data. Students have the opportunity to study computational theory and algorithms, as well as applications in modeling, data analysis, data science, and machine learning.
Computational Science: Specialty Electives & Recommended Core Courses
|
Specialty Electives: Choose three courses from: |
Units |
|
|
CS 103 |
Mathematical Foundations of Computing |
5 |
|
CS 154 |
Intro to the Theory of Computation |
3-4 |
|
CS 161 |
Design and Analysis of Algorithms |
5 |
|
CS 205L |
Continuous Mathematical Methods with Emphasis on Machine Learning |
3 |
|
CS 221 |
Artificial Intelligence: Principles and Techniques |
3-4 |
|
CS 228 |
Probabilistic Graphical Models: Principles and Techniques |
3-4 |
|
CS 229 |
Machine Learning |
3-4 |
| CS 231N | Deep Learning for Computer Vision | 4 |
|
CME 212 |
Advanced Software Development for Scientists & Engineers |
3 |
|
CME 215A or 215B |
Advanced Computational Fluid Dynamics |
3 |
|
Any CME course greater than CME 300 and less than 390 |
|
|
|
STATS 202 |
Data Mining and Analysis |
3 |
|
STATS 213 |
Intro to Graphical Models (last offered 2014-15) |
3 |
|
Recommended Courses for Computational Science Depth Requirements: |
|
|
|
WIM/TiS |
CS 181W or CS 182W |
4 |
|
Advanced Math |
CS 109 Intro to Probability for Computer Scientists |
5 |
|
Design |
CS 108; CS 140E; or CS 248A |
3-4 |
|
ENGR Fundamental |
CS 106 A/AX/B/X |
5 |
Electromechanical System Design: Provides the opportunity for students to explore the process of design, analysis, and realization of modern electromechanical systems including “smart products” with embedded sensing and actuation.
Electromechanical System Design: Specialty Electives & Recommended Core
|
Specialty Electives: Take at least two of: |
Units |
|
| CS 223A | Introduction to Robotics | 3 |
|
ME 104 |
Mechanical Systems Design (Prerequisites of ME 80, 102, and 103) |
4 |
| ME 220 | Introduction to Sensors | 4 |
| ME 333A or AA 242A or PHYSICS 110 | Advanced Mechanics and Dynamics | |
| and take at least one of | ||
|
ME 210/EE 118 ENGR 240 |
Intro to Mechatronics Introduction to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems |
4 |
| *Prereqs for ME 104 are ME 80, ME 102, and ME 103 | ||
|
Recommended Courses for Electromechanical System Design Depth Requirements: |
|
|
|
WIM |
ENGR 199W for students pursuing an independent research project, or ENGR 102W or PHYSICS 191 |
4 |
|
Design |
ME 103 Product Realization: Design and Making |
4 |
| ENGR Fundamentals | ENGR 40M or PHYSICS 104, and CS 106 A/AX/B/X | 4 or 5 |
|
Other |
ME 101 & ME 103D |
3 |
Materials Science: Students learn how to design and synthesize materials with particular structures at the nanometer and micrometer scale that provide special electrical, optical, magnetic or mechanical properties. Students can learn how to use these materials to make integrated circuits, light-emitting diodes, solar cells, fuel cells, microelectromechanical systems and other advanced devices.
Materials Science: Specialty Electives & Recommended Core Courses
|
Specialty Electives: Choose three courses from: |
Units |
||
|
MATSCI 142 to 199 (except 150 and 159Q) |
|
||
|
PHYSICS 172 |
Solid State Physics |
3 |
|
|
Recommended Courses for Materials Science Depth Requirements: |
|
||
|
WIM |
MATSCI 161 or 164 |
5 |
|
| ENGR Fundamental | ENGR 50/50E/50M | 4 | |
|
Other |
CHEM 31A/B or 31M (formerly 31X) |
5-10 |
|
Quantum Science & Engineering: Provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of quantum systems – including atoms, lasers, and quantum devices – and investigate potential applications, such as timing and navigation, quantum computing, quantum communication and quantum cryptography, and tests of fundamental physics..
Quantum Science & ENGR: Specialty Electives & Recommended Core Courses
|
Specialty Electives: Complete one of the quantum mechanics series by taking one of the following courses: |
Units |
|
| EE 223 | Applied Quantum Mechanics II | |
| PHYSICS 131 | Quantum Mechanics II | |
| And choose at least one course from: | ||
| APPPHYS 225 | Probability and Quantum Mechanics | 3 |
|
PHYSICS 134 |
Advanced Topics in Quantum Mechanics |
3-4 |
|
PHYSICS 230 |
Graduate Quantum Mechanics I |
3 |
|
PHYSICS 231 |
Graduate Quantum Mechanics II |
3 |
|
And choose at least one course from: |
|
|
|
APPPHYS 203 |
Atoms, Fields, & Photons |
4 |
|
APPPHYS 228 |
Quantum Hardware (not offered 2019-20) |
4 |
|
CS 254 |
Computational Complexity |
3 |
| CS 259Q or 269Q | Quantum Computing or Elements of Quantum Computer Programing | 3 |
|
EE 234 |
Photonics Lab |
3 |
|
EE 236C |
Lasers |
3 |
|
EE 243 |
Semiconductor Optoelectronic Devices |
3 |
| EE 340 | Optical Nano- and Micro-Cavities | 3 |
| EE 376A/STATS 376A | Information Theory | 3 |
| PHYSICS 106 | Experimental Methods in Quantum Physics | 4 |
| PHYSICS 182 | Quantum Gases | 3 |
|
Recommended Courses for Quantum Science Depth Requirements: |
|
|
|
WIM |
EE 134 or PHYS 191 or ENGR 102W |
5 |
|
Design |
EE 134 or PHYSICS 106 |
5 |
Renewable Energy: Students explore energy conversion and storage technologies that are relevant in renewable energy systems, such as solar cells, wind turbines, batteries, fuel cells, and hydrogen production and storage.
Renewable Energy: Specialty Electives & Recommended Core Courses
|
Specialty Electives: Choose three courses from: |
Units |
||
|
CEE 176B |
Electric Power: Renewables and Efficiency |
3-4 |
|
| CEE 161I | Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: The Atmospheric Circulation | 3 | |
|
EE 153 |
Power Electronics |
3-4 |
|
|
EE 157 |
Electric Motors for Renewable Energy, Robotics, and Electric Vehicles |
3 |
|
| EE 218 | Power Semiconductor Devices and Technology | 3 | |
|
MATSCI 156 or EE 293 |
Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, Batteries: Materials for Energy Solution Energy Storage & Conversion: Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, Batteries and Supercapacitors |
3-4
3-4 |
|
|
EE 293B |
Fundamentals of Energy Processes |
3 |
|
|
MATSCI 302 |
Solar Cells |
3 |
|
| MATSCI 303 | Principles, Materials and Devices of Batteries | 3 | |
|
MATSCI 316 |
Nanoscience, Engineering, and Technology |
3 |
|
|
Recommended Courses for Renewable Energy Depth Requirements: |
|
||
|
WIM |
EE 153 or MATSCI 161 |
4 |
|
Other Specialty: With approval of advisor and by petition, a set of three courses in one area of concentration
Capstone:
To satisfy the capstone requirement, students must complete at least one of the following:.
- Complete a research project and document it in a capstone paper for ENGR 199W.
2. Complete the capstone requirement in a department closely aligned with the specialty the student is pursuing (e.g., BioE, CS, ME, …) or Physics.
Declaring Engineering Physics
- Make a pre-major advising appointment with either Prof Pat Burchat in Physics, or with Prof Mark Cappelli in Mechanical Engineering, to discuss math and physics requirements, the selection of a specialty in Engineering Physics, and choosing an advisor.
- Declare the Engineering Physics subplan on Axess: select “Engineering” as your major and "Engineering Physics" as your subplan. Do not select Engineering Honors; this option may be elected later should you choose to pursue the Honors program.
- Print your unofficial Stanford transcript from Axess.
- Download the Engineering Physics Program Sheet from the Program Sheet page. Complete the Program Sheet, indicating how you plan to fulfill the major requirements (or do this when you meet with your advisor).
- Make an appointment with your advisor to discuss your program. Have your advisor sign the Program Sheet. Your program proposal may change as you progress in the program; submit revisions in consultation with your advisor. (Submit an initial Program Sheet during the quarter in which you declare, and a final Program Sheet at least two quarters before you graduate.)
- Return your signed form and a copy of your unofficial transcript to Darlene in 135 Huang; she can then approve your declaration in Axess and enter your new advisor. You can also get AP or transfer credit approval taken care of at this time.