Abstract: In order to reveal the learning conceptions of physics lab experiments (CLPLE) held by university students majoring in science and engineering, in interviews and surveys with students from South China Normal University are conducted. The phenomenological analysis of the interview data initially revealed eleven types of progressively sophisticated CLPLE, such as memorizing and cookbook-style operating. Then the exploratory factor analysis of the survey is further verified nine types of these conceptions. This result suggests that the CLPLE held by science and engineering undergraduates constitute a hierarchical outcome space, from low to high, reflecting disciplinary knowledge orientation, disciplinary process orientation, and nature of discipline orientation, respectively. Meanwhile, compared with non-physics majors, physics majors, it is found to agree more with the CLPLE as cookbook-style operating, mastering skills and experience and verifying. It is recommended that the instruction of college physics lab experiments further coordinate the theoretical and experimental courses and underline the unique educational function of lab experiments.