B.S. in Engineering Physics

Engineering is the practical application of scientific knowledge to improve people’s lives. Through Biola's engineering physics program, which includes a partnership with the University of Southern California, students receive two baccalaureate degrees — an engineering physics degree from Biola, and upon admission, an engineering degree from USC or another accredited university. These two degrees will prepare students for careers in a wide range of industries and government agencies.

In addition to its strong curriculum, expert faculty members and biblical integration, Biola’s engineering physics program offers several key advantages:

Enjoy a Christian college atmosphere for three formative years that will prepare you to succeed in a secular environment.

The 3+2 program allows you to receive two degrees in five years — one from Biola University and, upon admission, the other from the University of Southern California.
Biola’s location in Southern California — one of the world’s largest and most diverse metropolitan areas — is ideal for internships and opportunities to work in local industry.
Small class sizes provide for individual instruction.
Graduates of 3+2 programs are often preferred for initial hires over regular engineering majors.
Biola’s engineering physics program allows students to explore a variety of engineering fields before choosing their specialty.
Well-equipped laboratories at the Lim Center offer hands-on experience and opportunities to put your learning into action.
Be mentored by expert faculty who integrate their Christian faith into their lives as researchers, teachers and ministers in local or global communities. Students have opportunities to be involved in directed research with faculty, participate in presentations at various conferences and co-author peer-reviewed journal articles. Learn more about our faculty and student research.

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Courses

What will I study as an engineering physics major?

Biola’s engineering physics program will equip students with foundational knowledge in a wide range of real-world topics, preparing them to excel in graduate school and their professional careers. Students will learn about present-day topics such as:

Chemical kinetics, equilibrium, thermodynamics and electrochemistry
Three levels of calculus, including exploration of infinite sequences, inverse trigonometric functions and curves and surfaces in three-dimensional space
Physics topics including Newtonian mechanics, wave theory, geometric optics and relativity
Computer techniques in science and engineering using MATLAB and LABVIEW computer tools for data analysis
Analysis of stress, strain and deflection of mechanical elements due to tension
How to consider materials for product designs
3D printing
Microprocessor programming

Bible and Theology Coursework

As part of Biola’s commitment to a biblically centered education, most undergraduate students complete 30 credits of biblical and theological studies as a part of their degree program. Learn more about our Bible and theology core.

3+2 Program

The first three years of the engineering physics program will be spent at Biola, studying physics, chemistry, mathematics, biblical studies and the liberal arts — all from a Christian worldview. The next two years, following a successful application and admissions process, will be spent at the University of Southern California or another accredited engineering school. At the end of this five-year program, students will earn a B.S. in engineering physics from Biola and a B.S. degree in the field of engineering chosen by the student. Degrees include:

Career Outlook and Preparation

What can you do with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics?

Many career opportunities in government agencies, national research laboratories, education, aerospace and nuclear science await future graduates of Biola's engineering physics program. As a well-prepared scientist, you can expect to impact the world for Jesus Christ as a scientific entrepreneur or through rewarding professions such as:

Automobile and engine designer
Structural engineer
Satellite and rocket designer
Prosthetic device development
Petroleum engineer
Drug manufacture and development
Materials scientist
Renewable energy researcher
Biotechnology researcher
Educator
Physicist
Computer and software developer
Patent technology attorney

In addition, Biola engineering physics graduates and graduate candidates have participated in life-changing internships and engineering projects and have gone on to prestigious graduate schools. Highlights include:

Internship at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, Calif. — projects focused on developing a supersonic business jet to fly over land and minimize the shock wave from the sonic boom, flight research with varying subscale aircraft and working with the SOFIA 747sp flight team analyzing flight data.
Internship at Fabcon, an industrial fabrication company in Orange County, Calif. — experience gained through working on developing a fast, high-resolution printer for the VistaPrint company and being independently contracted to develop an algorithm for aligning printed circuit boards relative to substrates.
Internship at Theta Engineering in Costa Mesa, Calif. — collaboration project to develop a sequencer for an industrial spectroscopy client and develop a touch-screen oscilloscope.
Graduate studies at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Davis.

6% job growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for civil engineers is projected to be faster than average between 2023 and 2033.

BLS projections are not specific to Biola University students or graduates.

...rooting my education in Christ allowed me to go into the field excited to be the best engineer I can be and know that no matter the outcome of my efforts, my identity is not in my work, but in Christ.

Sean Cornish

Mechanical Engineer at JPL
Engineering Physics, B.S. '22

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Admissions

Admissions Process

Learn about Biola’s admissions requirements, steps to apply, application deadlines and more at our Undergraduate Admissions page.

Program-Specific Admissions Requirements

Students will be required to take a chemistry and/or physics placement exam.

The Science Department suggests an SAT Math score of at least 500 (or ACT equivalent) to pursue this major. Deficiencies can be fulfilled with permission from the Department of Chemistry, Physics and Engineering.

Schedule a Visit

Learn more about this program by attending an upcoming event for prospective students and parents, or by scheduling a personalized visit.

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Tuition and Financial Aid

Attaining a degree from Biola is more affordable than you might think — dramatically lower than the “sticker price” in most cases — with 100% of incoming undergraduate students receiving some form of financial aid.

Faculty

Faculty Spotlight

Grace Ni

Program Chair of Physics and Engineering

Ph.D., University of Waterloo
M.Eng., National University of Singapore
B.Eng., Xi’an Jiaotong University

Meet All Program Faculty

Research Projects

Computational Studies of Surfaces

Professor Xidong Chen – Theoretical studies are conducted to understand surface structures, particularly structures formed during oxidation. Multiple approaches are taken to build theoretical modes that make predictions comparable with experimental results. They include conducting Monte Carlo simulations and using object-oriented languages such as Python. Density function theory (DFT) is further employed to calculate energies of different morphologies and processes. The BLESS (Biola Low-Emission Scientific Supercomputer) cluster of 156 cores has been built and is being maintained for DFT calculations.

Fluorescence spectroscopy, particularly quantitative Near-Infrared (NIR) fluorometry

Professor John Silzel – I am using computational chemistry to study the spectroscopic effects related to intermolecular interactions in both natural and synthetic fluorescent materials. In this work, students and I prepare materials and characterize them by collecting vibrational, absorbance, and fluorescence spectra. We then compare this experimental data to the results of theoretical calculations performed on BLESS, the Biola Low-Emission Scientific Supercomputer, a solar-assisted 40-node computing cluster housed in Bardwell Hall.

Signal processing methods for the quantitative analysis of complex data

Professor John Silzel – This research interest grew naturally out of my work in biomedical assay development, and has grown to encompass difficult problems in chromatography, electrophoresis, and even real time audio processing (pitch and voice recognition, etc.). For example, students and I analyze many simultaneous measurements of a musical instrument (e.g. time, wavelength, frequency, and spatial coordinates) where multiple interferences make analysis difficult by conventional methods. My work in this area is very applied, and done often in a consulting role or in support of a specific research problem.