| What Careers Are Available To
Physics Graduates? Graduate study is generally considered requisite to many careers in physics; however, students who have completed the Bachelor of Science degree in physics have among their options the capability of assuming technical positions in government and industry or with specific training the opportunity to obtain certification for teaching at the secondary school level. Due to the flexibility of the physicist, governmental and industrial positions extend over a wide range of possibilities. The B.S. physicist may become a member of a team engaged in basic research, work in research and development of some product, secure employment as a project engineer or enter the business field. The importance of national problems associated with the environment, the shortage of certain materials and energy issues have led to increased employment opportunities for the B.S. physicist who chooses to undertake an involvement with specific advanced technologies. In addition, advances in solid state electronics, lasers and medical instrumentation have produced new possibilities for the student trained in the science of physics. Studies at the graduate level open a multitude of additional possibilities to the physics major. Physics students have entered graduate work in fields other than physics to prepare for careers as medical doctors, lawyers, nuclear or electrical engineers, materials scientist, applied mathematicians, computer scientists, environmental scientists, chemists, geologists, astronomers and oceanographers. Other students have, of course, pursued professional graduate work in physics. Master of Science degree graduates usually find careers as laboratory scientists in government or industry. In addition, community colleges and some high schools seek teachers who hold the Master of Science degree. Doctoral physicists become involved as leaders in research. National statistics show that 20% go into governmental or federally funded laboratories (the National Institute for Standards and Technology, for example), 55% enter industrial laboratories (the Bell Laboratories, Xerox, etc.) and 25% are associated with universities and colleges, some as teachers while others take research positions at universities (such as the University of Dayton Research Institute). Among the most active fields of physics research today are optics (including laser studies), atomic and nuclear physics, plasma physics and condensed matter physics (including superconductivity). A recent study of the University of Dayton undergraduate physics alumni
indicated that after graduation 65% entered graduate school (most in doctoral programs),
and 35% accepted employment. |