1 of 13

Bachelors Degrees in Physics: What you didn’t know

1

2 of 13

Job Stability & Satisfaction

Based on national surveys of students with bachelor’s degrees in physics

  • High employment rates (95%)
  • High job satisfaction in terms of
    • Feelings of job security
      • 75% to 93% (depending on sector) felt secure
    • Overall satisfaction
      • 71% to 90% (depending on sector) felt a sense of satisfaction

2

3 of 13

Job Opportunities

Flexible options and sectors including:

  • National Labs
  • Professional Schools (e.g. Medicine, Health)
  • Environmental/Climate Science, Energy
  • Space Science
  • Government/Policy
  • Public Administration, Business
  • Communication (e.g. Science Writing, Media)
  • Education (e.g. High School, College/University)
  • Engineering, Computing
  • Arts (e.g. Music, Television)
  • Not-for-Profit Organizations
  • Graduate Studies (e.g. multiple STEM disciplines)

3

4 of 13

Job Opportunities

  • On the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), which major from amongst the following gets the highest scores? Lowest scores?

A. Biology B. Psychology C. Chemistry D. Physics E. Engineering

​

  • On the LSAT (Law School Admission Test), which major from amongst the following gets the highest scores? Lowest scores?

A. Biology B. Psychology C. Chemistry D. Physics E. Engineering

4

5 of 13

Surprising Facts: Medicine

  • Physics Majors and Medical School
    • Physics majors get very high scores on the MCATs

​

5

6 of 13

Surprising Facts: Law

  • Physics Majors and Law School
    • Physics majors get very high scores on the LSATs

6

7 of 13

Surprising Facts: Salaries

  • Physics Majors and Earnings
    • Physics bachelors earn comparatively more

​

7

8 of 13

Surprising Facts: Helping Society

Physics Majors Help Others

  • Improving people’s health
    • Diagnosis and treatment of illness, for example:
      • Cancer treatment using radiation, new nanobot technology to target individual cancer cells
      • Body imaging using X-rays, ultrasound, NMR and PET scans
      • New methods using infrared light to monitor our blood
  • Addressing environmental issues
    • Energy needs and climate change effects, for example:
      • New renewable energy technology
      • Climate change effects on humans, animals (e.g. penguin populations), and land (size of the Sahara Desert)
      • Environmentally friendly transportation methods
  • And many more…

8

9 of 13

Surprising Facts: Helping Society

9

10 of 13

Summary

Students who earn a degree in physics:

  • Have high employment and job satisfaction
  • Work in many different sectors (STEM/non-STEM)
  • Gain skills that give them a competitive edge for Medical and Law School
  • Earn comparatively higher salaries than most other bachelor’s degrees
  • Have the opportunity to help society in substantial ways

10

11 of 13

Discussion Questions

What surprised you about the:

  • Areas in which physicists work?
  • Skills physicists apply working in such diverse areas?
  • Benefit physicists can have on the lives of others?

11

12 of 13

References

12

13 of 13

13