Physics Opportunities
A bachelor’s degree in physics is a wonderful stepping-stone to a wide variety of well-paying, interesting and intellectually satisfying careers in high-tech industries, research, and teaching.
Because of their extensive computer and technological background, physics majors have many possible careers open to them. Graduates from our program have gone on to and are prepared for careers in the semiconductor industry, medical physics and as researchers or faculty at some of the nation’s most prestigious graduate programs and research labs.
Some of the areas of graduate study for which physics is great preparation are materials science, electrical engineering, applied physics and, of course, physics. Typically our students who have gone on to graduate study are awarded tuition waivers and stipends to work as teaching and research assistants at their new physics departments.
Recent reports on the employment of undergraduate majors with a science degree show that physics majors have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation.
Research Opportunities & Career Information for Physics Majors and Grad Students
University of Idaho Physics Department
Many professors will be glad to have extra help during the school year or during the summer. If it is during the summer, you just might get paid for it or at least get research credit on your transcript. To find out more ask the professors.
Research Experience for Undergraduates
Work for a summer in a physics lab and get paid for it!
U-Idaho Career/Internship Services
WSU's Physics Career Page
Career Options Overviews
Society of Physics Students
- National SPS Homepage
- Careers Using Physics
Good site to start learning about the many possible careers for physics students
Jobs/Internships at National Labs
- Jet Propulsion Lab
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab
- Sandia National Lab
- Pacific Northwest National Lab
American Institute of Physics
American Physical Society
American Association of Physics Teachers
Industrial Job/Internship Information
- MICRON Technology, Inc. - They hire physics majors too!
- Orbital - These guys ARE rocket scientists!
American Association of Physicists in Medicine
Other Job Search Sites
Government Jobs:
Physics Career Options
- Professor
- Research University
- Four-Year College
- Community College
- H.S. Physics/ Science Teacher
- Medical Physicist
- Researcher at a National Lab
- Researcher in Industry (GE, Lucent, Dupont)
- Geo-Physicist
- Bio-Physicist
- Engineering (these do not necessarily need an engineering degree)
- Semiconductor Device Fabrication
- Failure analysis
- Graduate school options (besides physics)
- Materials Science
- Remote Imaging/Natural Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Patent and Intellectual Property Law (B.S. in physics + law school)
- Business (B.S. in physics + M.B.A.)
- Government
- Safety Regulation
- Advisory Boards
- Some Physics Specializations
- Renewable Energy (e.g. solar)
- Nuclear Power
- Condensed matter (e.g. computer chips)
- Medical Imaging
Graduate Students Enhance Elementary Science Education
Physics graduate student, Jacob Turner, teaches 4th, 5th and 6th graders about conductors and electrons. More