Degree Type: 

Bachelor of Science

Department: 

Department of Physics

Programme Duration: 

4 years (Standard Entry)

Modes of Study: 

Regular

About Programme: 

Career opportunities abound (mostly in laboratory settings) in teaching and consulting in engineering physics or related technical and professional fields. The training giving to our students also prepares them for real world applicability of skills in a multitude of industrial, educational, and research disciplines.

Entry Requirements: 

The Minimum Admission Requirement into the programme in the University of Cape Coast for WASSCE applicants is aggregate 36. For SSSCE applicants, the minimum requirement is aggregate 24. i. Candidates must have credit passes in six (6) subjects with overall aggregate of 36/24 at the WASSCE / SSSCE level respectively. ii. Three of the six subjects must be core subjects: English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science or Social Studies and the other three must be relevant electives which include Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics. iii. For purposes of admission, a credit pass in: (a). WASSCE means A1 – C6 (b). SSSCE means A - D

Career Opportunities: 

The Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics teaches the science that underlies engineering and prepares students for engineering design and development 84 employment or further graduate studies. Engineering physics is a field that provides broad training in physics and mathematics and basic training in engineering and design.    The practitioner of engineering physics is involved in the development of new devices and products using sophisticated physical concepts in areas where technology is changing rapidly and where the boundaries of several traditional engineering disciplines overlap. 

Our programme will inspire you to push the existing barriers of technology and break new grounds in engineering physics and its related areas. The interdisciplinary nature of the programme provides students with a strong grounding in engineering design and the application of physics principles to practical engineering problems as well as routine problems in engineering, and the flexibility to exploit basic knowledge in any branch of science and technology using analytical and experimental skills. 

Programme Structure

Level 100

First Semester

CMS 107: Communicative Skills I
3 Credit(s)

Engaging in academic work at the university is challenging. This course is aimed at equipping fresh students to make the transition from pre-university level to the university level. It assists them in engaging and succeeding in complex academic tasks in speaking, listening, reading and writing. It also provides an introduction to university studies by equipping students with skills that will help them to engage in academic discourse with confidence and fluency.

ENP 101: Orientation to Engineering
1 Credit(s)

The course introduces students to the range of engineering disciplines and the engineering method of problem-solving, as well as sustainability and other issues associated with the practice of engineering. Since a key attribute of successful professional engineers is the ability to communicate effectively, the course focuses on improving core engineering communication skills. The course also covers the fundamentals of engineering graphics. It uses the latest release of Auto computer-aided design (AutoCAD) software commonly used in industry to introduce students to AutoCAD interface, structure, and commands.

PHY 101: General Physics I (Theory)
2 Credit(s)

This course is intended to introduce students to some of the fundamental concepts and principles underlying Physics so as to develop the scientific problem-solving skills and logical reasoning of students. The knowledge acquired is for later application in allied programmes like Nursing, Optometry, Computer, Science, Science Education and Laboratory Technology.  The main topics treated include Physical quantities, vectors, Dynamics, Kinematics, Thermodynamics, Work, Energy and Power.

PHY 103: General Physics I (Practical)
1 Credit(s)

This is the practical component of PHY 101, and is assessed separately. It is intended to make Physics as interesting and relevant as possible by investigating some practical applications of Physics. The main topics treated include Hooke’s Law, Surface Tension, Simple Harmonic Motion, Density Measurements, Calorimetry and Thermal expansion.

Second Semester

CMS 108: Communicative Skills II
3 Credit(s)

This is a follow-up course on the first semester one. It takes students through writing correct sentences, devoid of ambiguity, through the paragraph and its appropriate development to the fully-developed essay. The course also emphasizes the importance and the processes of editing written work.

ENP 102: Basic Computer-Aided Design
1 Credit(s)

This course provides students with a broad introduction into 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and modeling with a focus on construction- and architecture-specific applications. Students will learn how to use industry-leading CAD software programs (Autodesk AutoCAD and Trimble SketchUp) to model construction projects, and then create and distribute basic, industry-standard architectural drawings.

PHY 102: General Physics II (Theory)
2 Credit(s)

Topics to be treated for the course are; Introduction optics, waves, electricity and magnetism: reflection and refraction on plane surfaces; lens formulae, thin lens in contact, characteristics of wave motion, sound waves, resonance, static electricity; the coulomb ; electric potential, capacitors, current.

PHY 104: General Physics II(Practical)
1 Credit(s)

This is the practical component of PHY102 and is designed to help students gain some hands-on experience with laboratory equipment as they perform experiments to enhance their understanding of some the theoretical concepts.  Such experiments include the determination of the focal length of lenses and refractive index of glass block; investigation of Ohm’s law and determination of resistivity of materials.    

Level 200

First Semester

ENP 201: Engineering Mechanics (Theory)
2 Credit(s)

This course provides an introduction to the mechanics of materials and structures. Emphasis will be placed on the physical understanding of why a material or structure behaves the way it does in the engineering design of materials and structures.  

ENP 203: Physics for Engineers (Theory)
2 Credit(s)

This course introduces students to Atomic and Modern Physics, Thermal conductivity and Optics. The atomic physics section considers the study of the structure of the atom as an isolated system of electrons and a nucleus, its energy states and the effect of electric and magnetic fields. The course treats the dual nature of light and discusses light-matter interactions as well as the production, detection and application of x-rays.

ENP 205: Engineering Mechanics (Practical)
1 Credit(s)
Pre-requisite: ENP 201

This is the practical component of ENP 201 and is designed to help students gain some hands-on experience with laboratory equipment as they perform experiments to enhance their understanding of some of the theoretical concepts.  Such experiments include the determination moments of forces, verification of the laws of collision and moment of inertia of rigid bodies.

ENP 207: Physics For Engineers (Practical)
1 Credit(s)
Pre-requisite: ENP 203

This is the practical component of ENP 203 and is designed to help students improve on their hands-on experience with laboratory equipment. The experiments are mainly focused on wave phenomena, thermal conductivity and nuclear radiations (alpha, beta and gamma) detection. Students are introduced to a more formal way of presenting laboratory reports.

PHY 209: Computing for Physics I
2 Credit(s)
Pre-requisite: PHY 101 and PHY 102

The course provides students with an understanding of the role computation can play in solving problems in Physics and its related courses. It helps students to feel justifiably confident of their ability to write programs that allow them to accomplish useful goals in Physics. It introduces computer hardware and software, and problem solutions with a computer. It presents algorithms in their general form and numerical algorithms, specifically those that are most useful in Physics. Hands-on exercises and/or assignments will cover a wide variety of topics in General Physics.

Second Semester

ENP 204: Analogue Electronics (Theory)
2 Credit(s)

This is a foundation course in analogue electronics and is meant to provide a comprehensive overview of the scope and dynamics of electricity and the fact that electronics refers to an extremely wide range of technology.  Students will be introduced to the building blocks of electronics such as the semiconductor, power supplies, operational amplifiers, attenuators and transducers.  Students will learn the theory and mathematics that govern the workings of the components that make up an electronic system.

ENP 208: Analogue Electronics (Practical)
1 Credit(s)

This is the practical component of PHY 204 and is designed to help students gain hands-on experience with laboratory equipment in line with electronic components and devices. Such experiments would include the construction and testing of half-wave and full-wave rectifiers, step-up and step-down transformers.

PHY 202: Electricity and Magnetism (Theory)
2 Credit(s)

This course is an extension of the electricity and magnetism basics introduced in PHY 102.  It is designed to improve students understanding of electric and magnetic phenomena.  The course covers basic computation of electric and magnetic fields, calculation of electric potentials and their applications.  A.C. theory and electromagnetic waves and their related calculations are covered. Application of RCL circuit is discussed.

PHY 206: Electricity and Magnetism (Practical)
1 Credit(s)

This is the practical component of PHY 202 and is intended to help students gain some hands-on experience with laboratory equipment as they perform experiments to enrich their understanding of some the theoretical concepts.  Such experiments include the determination of Inductance, Reactance and Impedance of AC circuits. 

PHY 210: Computing for Physics II
3 Credit(s)
Pre-requisite: PHY 209

This course continues the study of data structures. Topics include advanced data structures, key algorithm design techniques, and characterizing the difficulty of solving a problem in Octave language. Introduction to Fortran language for data structures, data analysis and visualization. Control structures, numerical computing and programming techniques in Fortran. Hands-on assignments cover a wide variety of topics in General Physics.

Level 300

First Semester

ENP 315: Digital Electronics
3 Credit(s)

This course introduces students to the working principles and applications of digital electronic devices. It provides an introduction to the control of engineering systems using microprocessors, sensors and actuators. Within this context it introduces the fundamentals of digital logic, digital arithmetic, programmable logic and computer architecture. Research skills and aspects of professional practice are developed through group-based assignments.

ENP 317: Thermodynamics
3 Credit(s)

This course draws on student’s previous knowledge in Heat and Kinetic Theory and deals with the Physics of thermal phenomena macroscopically. This is done by considering the influence of hidden parameters (state functions) and establishing their relationship with a given system. The main topics treated include thermodynamic systems, thermodynamic functions, Maxwell’s relations, phase transitions and Heat Engines. 

ENP 301: Applied Optics
3 Credit(s)

This course would lay emphasis on wave theory of light, its properties including superposition of light waves. Light properties in matter would be discussed. Students would learn the concepts of light such as scattering, refraction, interference, diffraction, polarization and various forms of interferometers. The basic concepts of lasers would also be introduced. This course applies the principles of Optics in instrumentation and engineering.  

ENP 307: Mathematics for Engineers I
3 Credit(s)

This course is designed to highlight some of the mathematical concepts in Engineering. It encompasses topics such as complex analysis, Green’s functions, Laplacian in one dimension, Fourier and Taylor series and vector analysis. 

ENP 313: Material Science I
3 Credit(s)

This course introduces students to the science of materials.  It considers the understanding of forces of interaction between atoms of solids, basic crystal structures and how they relate to the mechanical properties of Engineering materials.  Topics treated include crystal imperfections, diffusion mechanisms, strength of materials, types of corrosion and corrosion control.

ENP 399: Research Methods
3 Credit(s)

This course seeks to equip students with standard information retrieval skills, data presentation and scientific report/research proposal writing. It would allow students to acquire experience and general research skills essential for academic and research study. Specific aims of this course include gathering and critically evaluating information which addresses a specific research question and critiquing published scientific papers. The skills learnt would be key to project work later in the degree program. 

Second Semester

ENP 302: CLASSICAL MECHANICS
3 Credit(s)

This course deals with the set of physical laws describing the motion of bodies under the action of a system of forces. It describes the motion of macroscopic objects as well as astronomical objects. It enables the student to make tangible connections between classical and modern physics – an indispensable part of a physicist’s education. The course also introduces students to Special Theory of Relativity, with emphasis on some of its consequences such as the slowing down of clocks and contraction of lengths in moving reference frames as measured by a stationary observer.  The relativistic forms of momentum and energy as well as some consequences of the mass-energy relation, E = mc2, will be considered.

ENP 306: COMPUTING AND NUMERICAL METHODS
3 Credit(s)

The pre-requisites for this course are PHY 209 and PHY 210. The course is designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of the basic concepts in solving numerical problems using computer languages. Students will learn to code in languages such as Fortran, MatLab and Octave. This would enable students to simulate physics concepts.

ENP 312: SIGNALS & SYSTEMS ANALYSIS
3 Credit(s)

This course will introduce the theoretical foundations and practical implementation of signals, systems and transforms. Students are introduced to the fundamentals of signal and system analysis, focusing on representations of discrete-time and continuous-time signals and representations of linear, time-invariant systems. Applications are drawn broadly from engineering and physics, including feedback and control, communications, and signal processing. Team-based design projects involving modeling, classical compensator design and state variable feedback design.

ENP 314: MATERIAL SCIENCE II
3 Credit(s)

This course has been designed as a follow-up to ENP 313 (Material Science I). It is mainly devoted to the construction and interpretation of phase diagrams for alloy system, how alloys relate to their microstructures and the kinetics of phase transformation.  Different crystal growth techniques will be considered.  The course also discusses some commercial alloys, their properties and use limitations.  There will be an overview of the optical, thermal, electrical and magnetic properties of engineering materials. 

ENP 316: MATHEMATICS FOR ENGINEERS II
3 Credit(s)

This course builds on the first semester course ENP 307 and is designed to highlight some of the mathematical concepts in Engineering. Key topics treated include functions of complex variables, Bessel, gamma, beta and error functions, integral transforms, and Legendre polynomials.

Level 400

First Semester

ENP 423: Communication Systems
3 Credit(s)

This course will focus on transmitting information over optoelectronic devices. Modulation and demodulation of analogue and digital signals will be discussed. Transmission medium models for coherent light and acoustic waves will be studied. Filter design and analysis of noisy systems will be treated.

ENP 401: Nuclear and Particle Physics
3 Credit(s)

This course is to explore the development and experimental foundations of nuclear and particle Physics. Emphasis is on radiations, fundamental forces and particles. The main topics treated include the Concept behind Nuclear and Particle Physics, Nuclear Interactions and Applications and Elementary Particles.

ENP 403: Quantum Mechanics I
3 Credit(s)

This is a computation–oriented course aimed at introducing students to the basic concepts of quantum mechanics and how they differ from classical mechanics.  The course introduces students to the Schrodinger’s equation and its applications. General topics are discussed such that the physical significance of the theory is exhibited as clearly as possible to help build up the mathematical formulation. The computation includes calculating expectation values and obtaining possible outcomes of measurements for systems.

ENP 405: Electromagnetic Field Theory I
3 Credit(s)

In this course, students will build on the foundation provided by ENP 202 (Electricity & Magnetism). Liberal use is made of vector calculus to explore the principal concepts of the equations in Electrostatics, Magnetostatics and Electromagnetic induction, Maxwell's Equations  and Electromagnetic  Wave  Equation . Other topics that will be covered include the transmission of EM waves in the Ionosphere and Optical Properties of Electric Fields.

ENP 407: Statistical Physics
3 Credit(s)

The pre-requisite for this course is ENP 303 (Thermodynamics). The course begins by explaining the properties of large systems from those of individual particles in order to formulate the important fundamental concepts entropy from Boltzmann formula, partition etc. through the presentation of quantum statistics, Bose statistics and Fermi-Dirac statistics are established, including the special classical situation of Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics.

ENP 409: Semiconductor Device Physics
3 Credit(s)

This course is naturally dependent on the physics and properties of semiconductors themselves. It treats devices in which both electrons and holes are involved in the transport processes. The main part of the course focuses on the types of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETS) and metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) devices which are the main types of semiconductor devices on the market. The use of transistor devices and their design will also be discussed. Also discussed are some contemporary solid state devices such as light-emitting diodes, injection lasers and solar cells.

ENP 411: Photonics
3 Credit(s)

This course would examine the fundamentals of optical fibres. Review of basic properties of light, and how to couple light in fibres for simple optical systems. Students would learn types of fibres such as single-Mode and graded-index fibre structure as well as holey fibres. Topics would include, signal degradation in optical fibres, optical transmitters and receivers. In this course emphasis would also be on optical communication systems, with an aim to produce students with a foundation and working knowledge of modern photonics concepts/terminology, major opto-electronic devices/components and device measurement/handling.

ENP 413: Meteorological Physics
3 Credit(s)

This course introduces students to important phenomena and physical processes that occur in the earth's atmosphere, as well as to the basic concepts and instruments used to study atmospheric problems. Topics discussed include atmospheric radiation, thermodynamics, moisture, stability, clouds, and precipitation. 

ENP 419: Microprocessor Technology
3 Credit(s)

This course is intended as a first level course for microcomputer and embedded system design. Various aspects of hardware design, such as interfacing of memory and different types of I/O devices, will be covered in detail. There will be laboratory assignments on assembly language programming of 8085 and 8051. The students will also learn to use development aids such as a simulator and an in-circuit-emulator to perform software development, hardware development and hardware-software integration.

ENP 499: Project Work
3 Credit(s)

The pre-requisite of this course is ENP 399 (Research Methods). Independent research is conducted under the supervision of a departmental academic staff. Project topics will be selected from any of the topics covered in the lectures and other areas of interest, in keeping with the research interests and capabilities of staff of the department. 

 ENP 425: Renewable Energy
3 Credit(s)

This course provides the Physics of solar energy production and utilisation; a ubiquitous, inexhaustible, clean, and highly efficient way of meeting the energy needs of the twenty-first century. It is designed to give the students a solid footing in the general and basic physics of solar energy. Specific topics include: the solar energy resource, modelling and simulation, thermal and photovoltaic collectors, solar energy systems, special applications (solar heaters, material processing, etc.) and recent developments in solar technology. Other renewable energy sources will also be discussed.

Second Semester

ENP 402: SOLID STATE PHYSICS
3 Credit(s)

This course is designed for level 400 undergraduate Physics students. The main objectives of the course include describing simple structures in terms of a lattice and unit cell, understanding the cohesive energy between these structures and outlining how they may be determined. The course also treats basic features of coupled modes of oscillation of atoms in crystal lattice using the one-dimensional chain as a model and relates crystal properties (specific heat, thermal conductivity) to the behavior of these oscillations. The free-electron model and how it provides an explanation for many features of metallic behavior is also revised. The course also explains the basic features of semiconductors and relates this to simple semiconductor devices.

ENP 404: QUANTUM MECHANICS II
3 Credit(s)

Symmetries and Invariance; Angular Momentum in Quantum  Mechanics; Systems of identical Particles; Pauli Exclusion Principle; Invariance and  Conservation  Theorems; Approximation  Methods; Stationary  Perturbations; Time-Dependent Schrödinger Equation; the Variational Principle; Field Quantization. 

ENP 406: ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD THEORY II
3 Credit(s)

This is continuation of Field theory I with emphasis on theoretical concepts of transmission lines, waveguides, cavity resonators, antennas and radiation, and optical properties of electric fields. It introduces the fundamentals of high frequency circuit analysis and design, from electromagnetic theory to microwave systems. Starting with a concise presentation of the electromagnetic theory, the course leads to passive and active microwave circuit and the understanding of different concepts of impedance matching. It also provides the concept of wave propagation in different transmission media and the wave reflection from a media interface. Students will learn to use the Smith Chart. Other topics include transmission of EM waves in the Ionosphere, Waveguides and Optical Properties of Electric Fields.

ENP 408: RENEWABLE ENERGY
3 Credit(s)

This course provides the physics of solar energy production and utilization; a ubiquitous, inexhaustible, clean, and highly efficient way of meeting the energy needs of the twenty-first century. It is designed to give the students a solid footing in the general and basic physics of solar energy. Specific topics include: the solar energy resource, modelling and simulation, thermal and photovoltaic collectors, solar energy systems, special applications (solar heaters, material processing, etc.) and recent developments in solar technology.

ENP 416: DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEMS
3 Credit(s)

Data Acquisition Systems (DAS) convert real-time measurement data to digital values for storage and/or processing by computers or embedded systems. These systems are commonly used in industrial, automotive, military, and medical applications, as well as multimedia signal processing and scientific research. This course helps students understand the fundamentals of real time embedded data acquisition systems: their architectures, components, algorithms, data storage and presentation.

ENP 424: OPTICAL ENGINEERING
3 Credit(s)

Principles and techniques of optical engineering, including geometrical optics, optical fibers and systems, sources and detectors, measurements, imaging, lenses, wave optics, polarization, interference, diffraction, optical Fourier transforms, holography, interferometry, integrated optics, frequency conversion, interaction of light and matter.

There will be hands-on design and measurement of optical systems and components. Lens systems and imaging, fiber-optic communications and fiber-optic sensors, diffraction and Fourier Optics, interferometry, etc. Structured experiments and design projects centered on available equipment.

ENP 426: NANOTECHNOLOGY
3 Credit(s)

The aim and domain of this course is to illustrate the essence of nanotechnology. The course will explore the tools of nanotechnology and nanomaterials, as well as explaination and discussion of the theory, applications and scientific experimentations on nanosciences and nanotechnologies.