An expert combining an engineer’s and a physicist’s abilities is increasingly looked after by industries and/or development centers with the mission of exploiting and upgrading technological products. A physical engineer is able to efficiently deal with the most advanced issues of pure and applied physics (e.g., quantum physics, optics and photonics, solid-state physics, nuclear physics, physics and technology of nanostructures, physics of complex systems).  This specialist takes actively part in the development of new technological products characterized by a reduced time lag between scientific discovery and ensuing application, as well as by an ever increasing level of innovation.
The BSc course on Physical Engineering at the Politecnico di Torino offers the opportunity of dealing with some of the most interesting and challenging issues of modern physics and technology.
This course is primarily  addressed to young students who like physics for the  beauty and depth of its laws, its unifying language, the variety of physical effects – and who are at the same time willing to directly apply their expertise to specific realizations (such as devices, experimental techniques, methods of theoretical analysis) aimed to improving the quality of life of our society. 

A student will learn:

• the method of mathematics and other fundamental sciences as applied to engineering issues. Relevant learning modules are at the first year and the first half of the second year;
  
• basics of information engineering (electrical engineering, electronics, electromagnetic fields, measurements). Relevant learning modules are  at the second and third year;
• elementary knowledge of advanced and applied physics (quantum mechanics, statistical physics, physics of complex systems, solid-state physics, nuclear physics) along with information about some of their applications to innovative materials and nano-scale systems. Relevant learning modules are mostly at the third year and make use of the scientific tools provided by the courses on fundamental science and engineering.

The 1^st year’s learning modules are shared with all other students enrolled in the Politecnico; modules on engineering topics are shared with other ICT students; all modules focusing on advanced/applied physics are addressed to Physical Engineering students alone.
 
Students can follow all learning modules either in Italian or in English (courses given in English are limited to the first two years) taking advantage of the multi-ethnical environment  existing in the Politecnico di Torino.

Physical Engineering offers the graduate students the opportunity of following the preferred MSc course out of different learning programs offered by the Politecnico di Torino, In particular, students interested in nanotechnology and nanophysics may find it suitable to follow the Msc course on  Nanotechnologies for the ICTs, characterized in turn by two learning profiles (one predominantly given in Turin and the other being a fully international* program); students interested in a physicist’s approach of complex phenomena may find it suitable to follow the international MSc course in  Physics of complex systems*.
These MSc courses are strongly oriented towards student internationalization and are given in English. Students coming from Physical Engineering can enroll in any of the above-mentioned programs with no cultural gaps nor any need of further perfecting the knowledge they have gained.
After graduation physical engineers can find a job in advanced-technology industries, research centers and/or medical centers where they can suitably exploit their know-how in technological and applicative roles.

* limited access, submitted to selection based on student’s merit

The Bsc+MSc learning program structure is summarized in the following Table: