Degree Requirements

The Engineering Physics degree at Virginia differs from most Engineering Physics or Applied Physics Degrees. Courses are taken from the appropriate departments with about half the courses in physics and half in an area of engineering and applied science.

Master's of Science Degree
A total of 24 credits of course work plus a thesis is required to complete the Master of Science degree. A minimum of 6 credits in Physics, 6 credits in Engineering and 3 credits in Mathematics must be included in a student's program.

Ph.D. Degree
PhD students matriculating in the Engineering Physics Program at UVA will be required to
take a total of ten (10) graduate courses. Four (4) must be approved courses in Physics, two (2) of
which must be from the traditional Physics course combinations PHYS 521 and 831, PHYS
742/743 or PHYS 751/752 and four (4) graduate courses in Engineering/SEAS. In addition two
(2) courses in applied mathematics or computational physics, etc. are required.

Qualifying Exam

After completing six (6) courses (3 in physics and 3 in SEAS with a B average or better in each
group), the student can petition the EP Program for a comprehensive Exam comprised of a
written and an oral part. The written part will cover two focus areas selected by the student (one
in Physics and one in SEAS). A focus area is defined by two thematically connected courses as
approved by the advisor and the EP Program Coordinators. Two sets of questions – one set from
each area – must be answered in a 4 hour period. The written portion will be followed after about
two weeks by an oral exam covering the selected focus areas including the material addressed in
the written exam. The Examining Committee will be comprised of three professors – at least one
from Physics and one from SEAS – related to the selected focus areas. All areas chosen by the
student must be connected to upper level graduate courses. After passing the Comprehensive
Examination the student may present a thesis proposal during the following semester.
The guidelines stated above refer to students entering the program with B.S. degree.

Students entering the Engineering Physics Ph.D. Program with an M.S. degree in science or
engineering are required to complete four (4) graduate level courses (2 in physics and 2 in SEAS
with a B average or better in each group) prior to the comprehensive exam. The student can then
petition the EP Program for a comprehensive exam comprised of a written and an oral part. The
two (2) required physics courses, which comprise the physics section of the exam, must be from
the traditional physics course combinations PHYS 521 and 831, PHYS 742/743 or PHYS
751/752.

Off-Campus Graduate Degree Program

The Engineering Physics distance learning program is primarily targeted at students interested in earning a Masters of Engineering degree in Engineering Physics. However, the University of Virginia's Engineering Physics program is very research oriented, and students interested in considering a research-based Masters of Science degree should inquire with the program's directors, Dr. William A. Soffa and Dr. Petra Reinke, about the feasibility of pursuing such degrees in conjunction with coursework through the distance learning program.

To access more information visit the CGEP website.