A message from a Physics Faculty Member on why a Physics degree is a good career choice
"Well, graduates with physics degrees earn more right out of college than any other science major. Also, physics has one of the lowest, if not the lowest, unemployment rate of any major. If you go to http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report/majors-that-pay-you-back/bachelors and search physics, you will discover that the average starting salary is about $58,000, which is about $6000 less than the average graduate with a mechanical engineering degree earns. However, the growth with years of working with a physics degree is $1000 higher than for a mechanical engineer. Why is this? We don’t know why, but we suspect that it has something to do with a breadth of knowledge physics majors have. This is not to say that a degree in mechanical engineering isn’t a great choice, too.
I graduated with a BA in Physics and within a month had a job as a quality engineer for a company that fabricated microchips. I subsequently worked as a mechanical/project engineer prior to going on to earn my PhD in Physics. Why did they hire me, a physics major? Well, in one case, the product the company produced had pretty stringent requirements for optical transparency. As a physics major, it was trivial for me to understand the quality control measurements they performed to ensure the optical transparency of their product. They figured that having a team of traditionally trained mechanical engineers and some physics majors would be more suited to produce better products than their competitors and develop new products. Many physics majors work on the product development sides of companies.
My experience upon graduating with a physics degree is just one of many. Below is information and links to help you research career and educational opportunities with a degree in physics."
What to do with a degree in Physics
The College of Arts & Sciences Office of Career Services has in conjunction with Physics prepared information for students interested in a career in Physics. See What to do with a degree in Physics [PDF] and the Job and Internship Websites page.
American Institute of Physics Employment Data
AIP tracks employment data for people working in Physics and related fields. Up-to-date reports based on this data are available from AIP at Latest Employment Data for Physicists, Astronomers and Related Scientists.
Select AIP Reports
- Physics Bachelors: Initial Employment Data from the degree recipient follow-up survey for the classes of 2013 and 2014.
- Physics Bachelors:One Year After Degree Data from the degree recipient follow-up survey, classes of 2013 and 2014.
- Who's Hiring Physics PhDs? Employer names and job titles for new physics PhDs.
American Institute of Physics Career Resources
AIP Career Resources provides a variety of information including career advice, webinars, employment data, job listings, and more.
Society of Physics Students Careers Toolbox for Undergraduate Physics Students
SPS Careers Toolbox provides Physics career information of interest to undergraduate Physics majors.
Physics Today
Please check out Physics Today Jobs for current job postings. They include postdoctoral, tenure-track, fellowships, internships and REUs, senior academic, governmental, and private-sector positons. They also offer free use of many science-specific career resources including career advice, webinars, and application document templates.
A&S Career Services
Staff in the College of Arts & Sciences Career Services are available to assist students. They are located in 213 Life Sciences East.