Majors, Minors, and Programs

Computer Engineering	Major
Electrical Engineering	Major
Emphasis Areas in Applied Physics \| Bethel University	Major
Engineering: Dual Degree	Major
Graduate Engineering Program			Program
Mechanical Engineering	Major
Physics Minor		Minor
Physics (B.A.)	Major
Physics (B.S.)	Major
Software Engineering	Major

A Tradition of Excellence

Bethel has one of the largest undergraduate physics and engineering programs in the nation. It's about cutting-edge research, collaboration with distinguished professors, open-ended projects that challenge you to discover new solutions, highly-successful graduates, and an active science community within a Christian learning environment. It's about taking our faith in Christ and integrating it into everything we learn, into everything we do, so we can accomplish incredible things–in our careers, in our communities, and in our world.

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Top 15

undergrad physics program nationally, by size

- American Institute of Physics

15

specialized lab and design spaces in the department

Program Highlights

Engineering major and other options

Students who desire a strong liberal arts and science background can pursue engineering through one of Bethel's excellent standalone engineering programs, or through the B.A./B.S. Dual-Degree Engineering program, which typically involves 3 years at Bethel and 2 years at another university with a specialized, accredited engineering program. Graduates have also gone on to M.S. or Ph.D. engineering programs after receiving a degree in physics at Bethel.

Facilities

Our state-of-the-art research laboratories were completely redesigned and expanded in 2017. Our labs are particularly well-equipped in the areas of modern optics, atomic and molecular physics, electronics, laser physics, nanotechnology, and fluid dynamics.

Research

Collaborate with professors on applied research projects, publish in top scientific journals, and present your findings at local or national conferences.

Graduate School Success

Many of our alumni enter graduate or medical school after earning their degree from Bethel. Virtually all of our alumni received full financial support for their graduate work.

Internships

Our students intern at a wide range of companies, government agencies, and universities–including such prestigious organizations as CERN (Switzerland), MIT, Medtronic, TASER Inc., NIST, Honeywell, Argonne National Lab, Michigan State Univ., 3M, Cornell, United Launch Alliance (Delta rockets), NASA Goddard, Xcel Energy, and Columbia.

Scholarships

We offer scholarships to promising students each year, regardless of financial need. These financial gifts include the Gruez, Anderson, and Peterson scholarships, NASA's MN Space Grant, and the Edgar G. Johnson Memorial Scholarship.

Summer research experiences

We strongly encourage students to get experience during the summer months. Some work at Bethel as research assistants, but many do internships elsewhere. In the last several years, about 100 physics and engineering majors have been employed at over 3 dozen research sites throughout the country.

Teaching Assistantships

After their first year, nearly all successful students are given the opportunity to work as teaching assistants (TAs).

Alumni network

Our alumni come back to campus to connect with current students and offer advice. More importantly, they actively seek to hire our graduates.

Student community

Students are encouraged to join our local chapter of the Society of Physics Students and the Sigma Pi Sigma honorary society. Such cohesiveness builds a sense of unity among the students and faculty, providing a strong, supportive community of mentors and peers.

The strong foundation I was given by Bethel's physics department provided me with all the tools I needed to succeed in my graduate school career in electrical and biomedical engineering.

Daniel Klemme '13
University of Minnesota

Since 2007, I've had the privilege of advising six Bethel students in our Ph.D. program at the University of Minnesota. They are smart, hard-working, creative, and possess unusually broad and sophisticated skills in experimental physics and optics.

Sang-Hyun Oh
Professor and Sanford P. Bordeau Chair, University of Minnesota

Bethel served as a launchpad for me to eventually discover my purpose in Jesus' kingdom, which includes my career as a budding entrepreneur founding Laminera, as well as how I've evolved in my faith and integrated the two.

Lauren Otto '12
Founder and CEO of Laminera

People get the idea that Christianity is anti-science, when that is not true at all. As a Christian physicist, my job is an opportunity to discover the amazing mind of God and how He so intricately orchestrated the universe to work-and also made it so that we could discover it for ourselves.

Laura King-Steen '08
Icing Cloud Calibration Engineer, HX5 Sierra at NASA's Glenn Research Center

Bethel’s Physics alumni now make up a strong core of our measurement and automation team. Beyond their obvious technical abilities, they demonstrate the character of Christ in their endeavors, which above all is valued. I wish to express my gratitude for your teaching and referrals of such excellent people.

David Dikken
Current job: CEO, MTL Corporation

The beauty of physics-based education is that it forces the student to learn how to think, to understand, and to solve problems. I don't believe a career exists in which the ability to solve problems effectively is not one of the most valuable assets a person can have. If this is true, then studying physics is one of the best ways to prepare for ANY career, technical or not.

Aaron Montello '06
Operations Manager, Prima Power Laserdyne

What can I do with a physics or engineering degree?

Physics and engineering students are well prepared for professional careers in many different industries and have an exceptional history of success in graduate school.

Careers

Career fields of physics and engineering graduates:

Astronomy
Computer programming
Crime or forensics
Engineering (Aerospace, Biomedical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Geological, Mechanical)
Forestry
High school physics education
Lab technician
Mathematics or statistics
Medical technology
Medical imaging
Medicine
Nuclear lab technician
Optical device design
Physicist
Professor
Science research
Structural design (e.g., stadiums, bridges, amusement park rides)
Technical writing or illustration

Graduate Schools

Graduate schools our physics and engineering alumni attend:

Stanford
Minnesota
Colorado, Boulder
New Mexico
Purdue
Illinois
Ohio State
Yale
Harvard
University of Michigan

The majority of our graduates receive full financial support (stipend and tuition) in the form of fellowships, teaching assistantships, or research assistantships.

Graduate Fields

Graduate fields our alumni go into:

Physics
Mechanical engineering
Biomedical engineering
Electrical engineering
Industrial engineering
Civil or structural engineering
Statistics
Chemistry
Math
Cognitive science
Nanotechnology
Computer science
Medicine
Business law

Undergrad

Physics and Engineering

Studying physics and engineering is about more than solving equations. It's about making discoveries and developing devices that will change the world.