In many schools, engineering undergraduates are introduced to topics such as mechanics, dynamics, and electricity and magnetism through courses offered by a physics department. Brown is a bit different in that these topics are covered in courses offered by Engineering (i.e., ENGN 0030, 0040 and 0051). That is why there is not an explicit physics course requirement for Brown Engineering concentrations. It is recognized that some incoming Brown students may be unsure about concentrating in Engineering vs. Physics. This is not a problem, in that students who take PHYS 0070 can substitute this for ENGN 0030, if they subsequently decide to concentrate in Engineering. This is a topic that should be discussed with a first year advisor. There is also a separate concentration that combines Engineering and Physics, as described in the sections below.
Using introductory physics courses for Engineering concentration credit
If you are trying to choose between Physics and Engineering, the Engineering/Physics ScB degree might be of interest to you. In Engineering/Physics, you can take PHYS0050 and PHYS0060, PHYS0070 and PHYS 0160, or ENGN0030/0031 and ENGN0040 in Freshman year. All these choices will satisfy concentration requirements, and you will be able to choose Engineering or Physics versions of many other courses in the program. The Engineering/Physics program will give you an excellent grounding in applied solid-state physics.
In other Engineering concentrations, PHYS courses (other than those explicitly listed in the concentration requirements) do not automatically meet Engineering concentration requirements. PHYS courses can always be used for advanced placement - so for example if you have taken PHYS0070, you can replace either ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with a more advanced Engineering course. But in ABET accredited programs PHYS can only be substituted for ENGN if the overall plan of courses contains enough engineering classes to meet ABET credit hour requirements. Course substitutions always need approval from the relevant concentration adviser.
The table below provides a rough guide to whether Engineering concentrations will be able to approve substitution of Physics for Engineering.
Concentration |
ABET accredited |
Can physics be used for concentration credit? |
Can physics be used for advanced placement? |
ScB Biomedical Engineering |
Yes |
One PHYS course may be substituted for either ENGN0030 or ENGN0040, provided upper level electives contain sufficient ENGN credits. |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval
|
ScB Chemical Engineering |
Yes |
Cannot substitute PHYS for ENGN |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval
|
ScB Computer Engineering |
Yes |
Up to two PHYS course may be substituted for ENGN0030 or ENGN0040, provided upper level electives contain sufficient ENGN credits. |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval |
ScB Electrical Engineering |
Yes |
Up to two PHYS course may be substituted for ENGN0030 or ENGN0040, provided upper level electives contain sufficient ENGN credits. |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval |
ScB Engineering/Physics |
No |
Allows PHYS0050/0060; PHYS0070/0160 or ENGN0030/0040 |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval |
ScB Environmental Engineering |
Yes |
Up to two PHYS courses may be substituted for ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval |
ScB Materials Engineering |
Yes |
Up to two PHYS course may be substituted for ENGN0030 or ENGN0040, provided CHEM0350 is not used for concentration credit. |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval |
ScB Mechanical Engineering |
Yes |
Up to two PHYS courses may be substituted for ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval |
ScB Engineering |
No |
Up to two PHYS courses may be substituted for ENGN0030 or ENGN0040. Overall program must contain 12 Engineering classes and must be approved by concentration committee. |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval |
AB Engineering |
No |
PHYS0050 or PHYS0070 may be substituted for ENGN0030 (ENGN0040 is not required for the AB, but a second Physics course can be used to meet the science requirement) |
Yes - if you take PH0050/70 and/or PH0160 (or can obtain transfer credit for a college level physics course taken elsewhere) you can take higher level Engineering courses to replace ENGN0030 or ENGN0040 with concentration adviser approval |