Career Options

The combination of technical and problem-solving skills developed by physics graduates makes them highly sought after by prospective employers in engineering, chemistry, and other technical fields; extremely well prepared to teach at the middle or high school level; and well positioned for graduate school.

Common career pathways involve work in materials science, space exploration, aerospace, technical instrumentation, fundamental research, and the computer industry. A physics major is also an excellent stepping-stone for further studies in a wide range of interdisciplinary fields such as medical physics, engineering, meteorology, hydrology, geophysics, and economics.

Careers for Physics Majors

• Astrophysicist
• Atomic, Molecular, or Optical Physicist
• Computer Programmer
• Engineer
• Geophysicist
• Kinesiologist
• Laser Engineer
• Nuclear Imaging Technologist
• Nuclear Physicist
• Oceanographer
• Research Scientist
• Space Physicist

Starting Salary¹

A typical starting salary for a physics major is $55,500. The typical salary after 10-19 years is $123,000.

Job Titles of People with Physics Degrees

• Intel Fellow, Director of the Photonics Technology Lab, Intel
• Spokesman, Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment Experiment, Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Marketing Group Director, Food Service and Hospitality Division, Coca-Cola
• Engineer, Space Station Freedom
• CEO, Orchid BioSciences
• Airborne Sensors Product Branch Chief, U.S. Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency Test Resources Directorate
• Director, Business Development, Lockheed Martin IS&S
• Senior Engineer, Cryomagnetics, Inc.
• New Product Introduction Engineer, Volex, Inc.
• Programmer/Analyst, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
• Senior Engineering Manager, Nokia Mobile Phones
• Chief of Clinical Physics, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
• Scientific Advisor, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, TDAT
• Research Engineer, Center for Applied Optics
• Statistical Engineer (Vehicle Assembly), General Motors
• Staff Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Product Manager, Carl Zeiss Nano Technology Systems