diff --git a/matgl/layers/__init__.py b/matgl/layers/__init__.py
index fce5f89d..aee1fdc8 100644
--- a/matgl/layers/__init__.py
+++ b/matgl/layers/__init__.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """This package implements the layers for M*GNet."""
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-from matgl.layers._activations import SoftExponential, SoftPlus2
+from matgl.layers._activations import ActivationFunction
 from matgl.layers._atom_ref import AtomRef
 from matgl.layers._basis import FourierExpansion, RadialBesselFunction, SphericalBesselWithHarmonics
 from matgl.layers._bond import BondExpansion
diff --git a/matgl/layers/_activations.py b/matgl/layers/_activations.py
index 5f238365..4c6b4124 100644
--- a/matgl/layers/_activations.py
+++ b/matgl/layers/_activations.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import math
+from enum import Enum
 
 import torch
 from torch import nn
@@ -70,3 +71,14 @@ def forward(self, x: torch.Tensor) -> torch.Tensor:
         if self.alpha < 0.0:
             return -torch.log(1.0 - self.alpha * (x + self.alpha)) / self.alpha
         return (torch.exp(self.alpha * x) - 1.0) / self.alpha + self.alpha
+
+
+class ActivationFunction(Enum):
+    """Enumeration of optional activation functions."""
+
+    swish = nn.SiLU
+    sigmoid = nn.Sigmoid
+    tanh = nn.Tanh
+    softplus = nn.Softplus
+    softplus2 = SoftPlus2
+    softexp = SoftExponential
diff --git a/matgl/models/_m3gnet.py b/matgl/models/_m3gnet.py
index 4cb80a98..210e1436 100644
--- a/matgl/models/_m3gnet.py
+++ b/matgl/models/_m3gnet.py
@@ -25,14 +25,13 @@
 )
 from matgl.layers import (
     MLP,
+    ActivationFunction,
     BondExpansion,
     EmbeddingBlock,
     GatedMLP,
     M3GNetBlock,
     ReduceReadOut,
     Set2SetReadOut,
-    SoftExponential,
-    SoftPlus2,
     SphericalBesselWithHarmonics,
     ThreeBodyInteractions,
     WeightedReadOut,
@@ -113,18 +112,12 @@ def __init__(
 
         self.save_args(locals(), kwargs)
 
-        if activation_type == "swish":
-            activation = nn.SiLU()  # type: ignore
-        elif activation_type == "tanh":
-            activation = nn.Tanh()  # type: ignore
-        elif activation_type == "sigmoid":
-            activation = nn.Sigmoid()  # type: ignore
-        elif activation_type == "softplus2":
-            activation = SoftPlus2()  # type: ignore
-        elif activation_type == "softexp":
-            activation = SoftExponential()  # type: ignore
-        else:
-            raise ValueError("Invalid activation type, please try using swish, sigmoid, tanh, softplus2, softexp")
+        try:
+            activation: nn.Module = ActivationFunction[activation_type].value()
+        except KeyError:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Invalid activation type, please try using one of {[af.name for af in ActivationFunction]}"
+            ) from None
 
         if element_types is None:
             self.element_types = DEFAULT_ELEMENT_TYPES
diff --git a/matgl/models/_megnet.py b/matgl/models/_megnet.py
index 02ac9755..0ccf3a87 100644
--- a/matgl/models/_megnet.py
+++ b/matgl/models/_megnet.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 
 from matgl.config import DEFAULT_ELEMENT_TYPES
 from matgl.graph.compute import compute_pair_vector_and_distance
-from matgl.layers import MLP, BondExpansion, EdgeSet2Set, EmbeddingBlock, MEGNetBlock, SoftExponential, SoftPlus2
+from matgl.layers import MLP, ActivationFunction, BondExpansion, EdgeSet2Set, EmbeddingBlock, MEGNetBlock
 from matgl.utils.io import IOMixIn
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
@@ -96,19 +96,12 @@ def __init__(
         edge_dims = [dim_edge_embedding, *hidden_layer_sizes_input]
         state_dims = [dim_state_embedding, *hidden_layer_sizes_input]
 
-        activation: nn.Module
-        if activation_type == "swish":
-            activation = nn.SiLU()
-        elif activation_type == "sigmoid":
-            activation = nn.Sigmoid()
-        elif activation_type == "tanh":
-            activation = nn.Tanh()
-        elif activation_type == "softplus2":
-            activation = SoftPlus2()
-        elif activation_type == "softexp":
-            activation = SoftExponential()
-        else:
-            raise ValueError("Invalid activation type, please try using swish, sigmoid, tanh, softplus2, softexp")
+        try:
+            activation: nn.Module = ActivationFunction[activation_type].value()
+        except KeyError:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Invalid activation type, please try using one of {[af.name for af in ActivationFunction]}"
+            ) from None
 
         self.embedding = EmbeddingBlock(
             degree_rbf=dim_edge_embedding,