Department of

Engineering
and Physics

Robert and Kay Onstead
College of Science and Engineering

Whether you’re ready to investigate the movement of nanoparticles or carry out your ideas into massive structures, the Department of Engineering & Physics at ACU takes you there. Guided by industry-leading professors, discover the answers to your “how do…” questions and outstanding opportunities that bring you closer to realizing your goals and leaning into your career.
Home/ Academics/ Robert and Kay Onstead College of Science and Engineering/ Department of Engineering and Physics

Whether you’re ready to investigate the movement of nanoparticles or carry out your ideas into massive structures, the Department of Engineering & Physics at ACU takes you there. Guided by industry-leading professors, discover the answers to your “how do…” questions and outstanding opportunities that bring you closer to realizing your goals and leaning into your career.

Main Content
Mini golf course challenge with ACU engineering and physics students

Clinics as Good as Internships

The ACU Engineering Senior Clinic program offers a two-semester strategic partnership with industry and government sponsors. This innovative, strategic partnership provides a key component to training the next generation of engineers through hands-on project management and product development, testing and delivery to the client. This is an investment in your future.
Apply to the Best

Onstead Building for Body Soul Hero

Meet the Faculty

It matters who leads you. Our engineering and physics professors not only lead stellar classroom discussions, engaging labs and strong mentorships, they’re leaders in their fields with experience doing the work they’re preparing you for. Our small class sizes give you the same advantages as large schools with more hands-on, personal opportunity.

 

Faculty and Staff

On-campus Undergraduate Programs

Physics

ACU physics students gain extensive experience as undergraduates. Not mere observers of physics research, they are active, well-trained participants entrusted with key responsibilities in their work with faculty members and international scientists at national research laboratories.

Bachelor of Science

Physics
Available Tracks:

  • Computational Physics
  • Engineering Physics
  • Engineering Science Technology
  • Medical Physics
  • Physics

Physics is also available as a minor. Contact the department to learn more.

Engineering

From research and development to testing and production, engineers design and manage the products that improve our quality of life. Engineers improve transportation, develop better nano-technologies for healthcare, design electrical systems, protect the environment, streamline manufacturing and harness nuclear energy, among other undertakings. These careers can begin with ACU’s Bachelor of Science in Engineering, in which you’ll study and apply the laws with which God structured the universe.
The engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Engineering
Available tracks:

  • Civil Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • General Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering

Engineering is also available as a minor. Contact the department to learn more.

Teaching

Bachelor of Science
with High School Teaching Certification

Physics and Math
Composite Science – Engineering and Physics

For High School certification you will need to successfully complete a certain number of hours in the subject area prior to starting a certification program which collaborates with the School of Education. Information on requirements for this high school teacher certification can be found in the course catalog under the Engineering and Physics Department.

Student smiling at the camera

Outstanding Engineering Alumna

Sydney Shelstead (’17) graduated with a concentration in electrical engineering. Demonstrating her talents in the classroom and in varsity athletics, Sydney balanced serving as president of the Engineering Student Association while playing forward on the ACU’s women’s basketball team. Her leadership skills and campus experience prepared her for an extraordinary career at Raytheon as a systems engineer and liaison for ACU’s Senior Clinic program.

Mitchell Schneller

Protecting the World

Mitchell Schneller’s internship at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center resulted in a NASA grant to ACU’s Department of Engineering and Physics, bringing Schneller’s project to campus as a part of the Senior Clinic.

Schneller graduated with his BSE (mechanical engineering) in May 2021 but continues to work with the student team as project manager for an RF detection system related to NASA’s Science and Heliophysics Antenna Array for Radar and Communication (SHAARC) program studying the sun and atmosphere to detect objects in outer space that could threaten the Earth and space travel.

Learn More about the NASA Engineering Grant
Rosario Gibbs smiling at camera in front of NEXT lab sign

Researching with Results

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) announced a grant of $367,793 in July 2021 to be used for infrastructure at ACU’s Nuclear Energy eXperimental Testing Lab, specifically, establishing new and unique real-time direct chemical analysis capabilities for molten salt systems. A total of $30.5 million has been committed to the ACU and Abilene-based Natura Resources LLC research efforts for the largest sponsored research agreement in the university’s history.

Lab work on ACU’s campus continues with the construction of the Fluoride Molten Salt Test Loop, the development of a Salt Purification System, the commissioning of the Molten Salt Filter System and the second–generation Chemical Analysis System.

Accreditation

ACU’s undergraduate engineering program has been accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering and engineering technology.

ABET accreditation assures that programs meet standards to produce graduates ready to enter critical technical fields that are leading the way in innovation and emerging technologies, and anticipating the welfare and safety needs of the public.

Once you graduate from ACU with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering, you will be equipped to work in a number of engineering positions.

Engineering Accreditation