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DEGREE Engineering Physics, BS

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Major in engineering physics

As an engineering physics major, you’ll dive into research alongside professors who work at the frontier of translating emerging science into novel technologies. With a curriculum designed specifically to launch your research career and a tight-knit community of scholars, you’ll find a supportive environment to pursue a flexible math and physics-centered curriculum and publish an undergraduate thesis.

The engineering physics major is ideal for students who are already thinking about graduate school and want the flexibility to design their undergraduate experience to support that goal—but it also prepares students to join high-tech startup companies developing new technologies.

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At a glance

Nuclear engineering and engineering physics department

1
of the nation’s few remaining research and teaching nuclear reactors
2
undergraduate ranking among public universities in nuclear engineering
4
graduate ranking among public universities in nuclear engineering
Facts & stats

Program and degree information

View the Undergraduate Guide for information on requirements, four-year plans and more.

Determine what kind of student you will be and learn more about what information you need to apply.

Freshman A freshman includes anyone who is currently a student in high school or who has not taken college coursework since graduating from high school.
Transfer Student A transfer student is anyone who has attended another college or university after graduating from high school and wishes to enroll in an undergraduate degree program at UW–Madison.
Cross-campus Student Cross-campus transfer students are students who are currently enrolled in another school or college at UW-Madison who wish to transfer into the College of Engineering.
Reentry Student Students who previously attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an undergraduate and would like to complete their first undergraduate degree will need to apply for reentry admission. Reentry students are those who have not been enrolled in courses for a semester or more.

Tuition and segregated fee rates are always listed per semester (not for Fall and Spring combined).

 

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The College of Engineering is committed to recognizing the potential and accomplishments of incoming and enrolled students by supporting their education through a variety of scholarships at the college and departmental level.

 

View scholarship information

Objectives of the Engineering Physics Program

  • Educate students to think and participate deeply, creatively, and analytically in emerging areas of engineering technology.
  • Educate students in the basics of instrumentation, design of laboratory techniques, measurement, data acquisition, interpretation, and analysis.
  • Educate students in the methodology of research.
  • Provide and facilitate teamwork and multidisciplinary experiences throughout the curriculum.
  • Foster the development of effective oral and written communication skills.
  • Expose students to environmental, ethical and contemporary issues.

Learning Outcomes

  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. an ability to apply engineering research practices to produce results that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. an ability to apply experimental, theoretical, and computational methods to address scientific and engineering objectives
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Degrees

  • Conferred, 2023-2024
    Bachelor or Science, Engineering Physics: 3
  • Enrolled, Fall 2024
    Bachelor or Science, Engineering Physics: 45

View the UW-Madison Guide for information on all nuclear engineering and engineering physics courses.

 

View all engineering physics courses
View all nuclear engineering courses

Certificates

In addition to our engineering majors, you also can choose from nine certificate programs that are designed to enhance your education, expand your skillset, and make you a more versatile, marketable engineer. When you successfully complete a certificate program, you’ll also see it reflected on your transcript.
Close up of putting liquid into tray of vials

Certificate for Biology in Engineering for Engineering Majors

People looking at drafting table

Certificate in Architecture

Data center with AR screens

Certificate in Engineering Data Analytics

Solar panel on blue sky background

Certificate in Engineering for Energy Sustainability

Green field, wind turbines and blue sky.

Certificate in Engineering Thermal Energy Systems

Global map with push pins in various locations

Certificate in International Engineering

CNC Laser cutting metal

Certificate in Manufacturing Engineering

atom orbit in space

Certificate in Nuclear Engineering Materials

Close up typing on Laptop

Certificate in Technical Communication

Research opportunities

You’re an undergrad at a university known for its world-changing research. As an undergrad, you can be part of that—whether in a lab in our department, elsewhere in engineering, or even in other schools or colleges across UW-Madison! And if you discover a passion for research, want to further specialize in your field, or simply enjoy the process of learning in an academic setting, you can get any of those through our advanced master’s and PhD degree programs, too!

Research experience

As an undergrad, you can help pioneer new knowledge or technologies on your own or as a researcher in a professor’s lab.  It’s a great opportunity to apply what you’re learning in class, explore a field or topic that interests you, and gain insight into what it’s like to be a graduate student.

Undergraduate research

Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, MS

As a master’s student in nuclear engineering and engineering physics, you’ll learn the principles of how radiation intersects with matter, as well as its applications in several areas of engineering physics.
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Nuclear engineering and engineering physics news

In our department, our research spans areas that include aerospace, materials, fusion energy, nuclear systems and more—and we are a community that brings them all together for the benefit of our world.
All department news
Dean Eric Wilcots, Dean Frances Vavrus, NIFS Director General Zensho Yoshida, College of Engineering executive associate dean David A. Noyce
October 4, 2024

UW-Madison, Japan’s National Institute for Fusion Science strengthen research partnership

Charlie Hirst
September 18, 2024

Focus on new faculty: Charles Hirst enables better materials for fission and fusion reactors

Phillip A Levy Engineering Center spelled out on the entrance of the new UW-Madison College of Engineering Building
September 11, 2024

With $75 million gift for new UW-Madison engineering building, brothers’ impact spans generations and transcends campus boundaries

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