What types of jobs are available for a BS in Physics?

[cdotter]

I don't really know how to start this, so I'll get to the point:

I'll be going to university in the fall because as it turns out being a minimum wage slave is horrible...anyways, my choice of major is a tossup between Physics and Computer Information Systems. I took Physics and AP Calculus my senior year in high school and I loved it. The material was interesting and I did very well in both classes, but I was an idiot and didn't bother taking the AP test because I didn't want to spend the $80. So I guess my point is that I like math and I'm not too bad at it.

So, if my college career will be anything like my high school career, let's assume I'll graduate in four years with a BS in Physics with a 3.4 GPA. I don't have any research or job experience because my university doesn't offer internships for Physics students and the internships I've found on my own are thousands of miles away and don't pay.

Now what? I'll be around $40,000 in debt from student loans. I would like to go on to graduate school for a Masters, but my debt dictates that I work for a bit to pay off my loans. What types of jobs are available? I've heard that finance jobs are available to Physics majors because they are good at maths and are great critical thinkers...but I'm not Mr. 4.0-GPA-Ivy-Leaguer, I'm an average student with a degree from a small liberal arts university with no related job experience...which leads me to believe I won't be qualified for these jobs. Not that I'd like to work in finance, however.

So, is it possible to get an industry job with just a BS in Physics? I've heard that Physics students can do engineering jobs...and I've heard they can't. I suppose to depends on who is in HR and what exactly the job is, but generally, would a Physics major stand a chance at getting an Engineering job? If not, what other math and science jobs would be available to an average student with a BS in Physics?

Thanks.

 

[RasslinGod]

Hi,

theres actually a thread here talkin about this. it'll answer your questions and it will be disappointing.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=202767

 

[mattmns]

Learn some computer skills on top of your physics and you could probably find something.

 

[fizziks]

If you want to find work with JUST a BS physics degree, you cannot, unless you specialize in something useful/required by the employer. Take some computer classes with your physics degree. If your school offers anything in engineering, take some of their classes. Make computer programs during your undergrad.

Taking programming classes mean jacksh*t to employers unless you have some way in providing hard evidence that you can do it. My cousin works for M$ as a hiring contact and he doesn't give a sh&t if you are a CS major unless you can provide a sample of your code. So if you don't want to take programming classes, learn it yourself and make programs.

You cannot get an engineering job with a physics degree unless you have taken engineering classes or have prior experience in engineering.

 

[arunma]

Hi Cdotter. There was already a thread along similar lines, posted by Fizziks. My recommendation is this: double major in physics and engineering. It's not that hard, since many of the courses overlap. I had a friend in undergrad who doubled in physics and chemical engineering. He went to law school to be a patent lawyer. But if he hadn't gone that route, he'd have a decent job waiting for him.

Here's my understanding as a first year grad student (if anyone knows better, please correct me). Even if you graduate with student loans to pay off, you can get those deferred as long as you go to grad school immediately after college. So contrary to your earlier assumption, you can go for a Master's degree. I assume you'd want to get a Master's in physics, and with this you'll be a much stronger candidate for many jobs. But let's say you graduate and decide you don't want to do two more years of school. Or, let's say you don't have the GPA/GRE scores to get into grad school. You'll still have your engineering degree, which would make you quite employable.

So I think that doubling in physics and engineering is your best bet. The courses overlap, you can go to grad school if you still like physics at the end of it all, and you still have options if you want to start making money.

 

[Shackleford]

If you want to find work with JUST a BS physics degree, you cannot, unless you specialize in something useful/required by the employer. Take some computer classes with your physics degree. If your school offers anything in engineering, take some of their classes. Make computer programs during your undergrad.

Taking programming classes mean jacksh*t to employers unless you have some way in providing hard evidence that you can do it. My cousin works for M$ as a hiring contact and he doesn't give a sh&t if you are a CS major unless you can provide a sample of your code. So if you don't want to take programming classes, learn it yourself and make programs.

You cannot get an engineering job with a physics degree unless you have taken engineering classes or have prior experience in engineering.

What about a physics major with a mechanical engineering minor?

 

[Laura1013]

You cannot get an engineering job with a physics degree unless you have taken engineering classes or have prior experience in engineering.

That's really not true. It may be more difficult, but it happens all the time. None of the people I know with just a bachelor's in physics who currently work as engineers had any prior engineering experience. It's most definitely possible.

 

[Defennder]

Are you sure they weren't hired because they had marketable skills outside of physics, ie. programming etc.?

 

[ice109]

What about a physics major with a mechanical engineering minor?

you can't get a minor in a technical major

 

[Shackleford]

you can't get a minor in a technical major

You don't know what you're talking about. UH offers a Mechanical Engineering minor.

 

[Defennder]

You know I think it's better if you did it the other way round; engineering major with a physics minor.

 

[Shackleford]

You know I think it's better if you did it the other way round; engineering major with a physics minor.

I'm majoring in physics, not engineering. I'm just looking for a minor that will give me better employment opportunities.

 

[Asphodel]

Physics + Engineering minor sounds good for that. Or Chemistry, Biology, English, et cetera. Probably no one cares about your Math minor, everybody has those or nearly so.

 

[Shackleford]

Physics + Engineering minor sounds good for that. Or Chemistry, Biology, English, et cetera. Probably no one cares about your Math minor, everybody has those or nearly so.

If I do an ME minor, some of the classes will kind of overlap with my physics major, so I might be doing some of the same topics twice. I guess that could be a bit advantageous, but I kind of want an "easier" minor, maybe business, to give me more employment opportunities.

 

[clope023]

You don't know what you're talking about. UH offers a Mechanical Engineering minor.

x2, my university offers 4 different tracks (robotics/mechatronics, materials, etc) for mechanical engineering minors.

 

[Poop-Loops]

That's really not true. It may be more difficult, but it happens all the time. None of the people I know with just a bachelor's in physics who currently work as engineers had any prior engineering experience. It's most definitely possible.

Yeah, same here. I really don't understand where you got your info from, fizziks. Sounds like a load of crap to me.

 

[Shackleford]

Hey, guys, I perused a bit over the minors at UH. The minor in architecture seems interesting to me. I've always been a bit fascinated by skyscrapers, buildings, and so forth. Is there practical employment use for such a minor?

Maybe a minor in the following?

http://www.tech.uh.edu/Departments/Engineering_Technology/Minors/

 

[Asphodel]

Minors are rarely of "practical employment use" beyond one factor - if you take a cohesive bundle of electives that form a minor, they give you an easy way to document it. If it looks fun, or if you'll cover enough material that will be useful towards your career plans, then by all means go for it.

 

[Shackleford]

Minors are rarely of "practical employment use" beyond one factor - if you take a cohesive bundle of electives that form a minor, they give you an easy way to document it. If it looks fun, or if you'll cover enough material that will be useful towards your career plans, then by all means go for it.

Well, I'm not exactly sure yet what I want to do with my physics degree. I'm majoring in it because physics thoroughly interests me. I suppose research would be interesting as would industry.

 

[fizziks]

Yeah, same here. I really don't understand where you got your info from, fizziks. Sounds like a load of crap to me.

Personal experience. Fellow recent graduates with physics degrees. Show me hard evidence of employers hiring physics graduates for entry level engineering positions with no engineering experience or specialization because I couldn't find one for the past 3-4 months. Checked craigslist, usajobs, monster.com, etc. Even tried networking with a couple of online friends.

So I'm stuck looking for a job with the skills I already have that was not taught in school (C++, CSS, computer skills, etc.). I wouldn't say my 4-year degree was useless, it'll give me the edge on what I know now.

 

[bravernix]

Personal experience. Fellow recent graduates with physics degrees. Show me hard evidence of employers hiring physics graduates for entry level engineering positions with no engineering experience or specialization because I couldn't find one for the past 3-4 months. Checked craigslist, usajobs, monster.com, etc. Even tried networking with a couple of online friends.

So I'm stuck looking for a job with the skills I already have that was not taught in school (C++, CSS, computer skills, etc.). I wouldn't say my 4-year degree was useless, it'll give me the edge on what I know now.

Didn't you also say you had less than 3.0 GPA and no research or work experience? Even those with engineering degrees and low GPA can have trouble finding jobs. Also, my anecdotal evidence related to the topic at hand is that I have a friend that got a job in Boston working with lasers with only a B.S.

 

[fizziks]

Didn't you also say you had less than 3.0 GPA and no research or work experience? Even those with engineering degrees and low GPA can have trouble finding jobs. Also, my anecdotal evidence related to the topic at hand is that I have a friend that got a job in Boston working with lasers with only a B.S.

Yes, but none of the jobs I've applied for asked for my GPA. I don't give out my GPA unless they ask for it. I know it is bad to hide your GPA in a resume because it's a sign that shows that it is horrible.

They were more interested in my experience and personality as a whole. Even for an entry level position, they wanted me to have some type of experience in the field they were seeking. I was lucky to land a couple interviews. I probably sucked at the interviews and that's why I didn't get the positions.

 

[Asphodel]

Yes, but none of the jobs I've applied for asked for my GPA. I don't give out my GPA unless they ask for it. I know it is bad to hide your GPA in a resume because it's a sign that shows that it is horrible.

I don't know that I'd post it if it was good either - someone that hires you solely because of a high GPA is usually an idiot.

 

[Poop-Loops]

How were you applying, exactly? One person I talked to said that you don't go in saying "I HAVE PHYZIX DEGREE MAKE ME ENGINEER KTHNXBYE!"

You have to tell them your skills and why you can do the jobs that engineers can. Nobody knows what a "physics degree" means.

 

[Asphodel]

Nobody knows what a "physics degree" means.

It means you can actually read Griffiths's Intro to Electrodynamics.


Not necessarily understand, mind you. Just read.

 

[fizziks]

You have to tell them your skills and why you can do the jobs that engineers can. Nobody knows what a "physics degree" means.

Precisely. They DON'T KNOW what a physics degree means and apparently, they just assume I don't know anything about engineering based on my degree. It was my fault on that part. But now, I recently started listing selected physics courses in my resume. Hopefully that'll grab their attention that I have the basic qualifications for an EE.

 

[user101]

Throughout my job search, I've seen a handful of internship openings from companies like Boeing, IBM, BAE, and a few select others that "desire" Engineering, Physics, or Math majors. It's common, but not that common.

If I were you, this is what I'd do:

Since you are interested in physics and concerned about your future job prospects, why not major in Electrical Engineering? There are many courses that are math-heavy and lots of courses in physics (applied physics too). You can always take the physics courses such as QM that interest you as a technical elective sometime in your junior or senior year. I know many engineering schools that require electives and choosing a higher level physics class is one of them. In addition, since you like math, an engineering degree requires a lot of math. You probably won't be taking things like Real Analysis and such, but again, you can do these classes as an elective.

Some of the EE classes that you may enjoy (mainly because of the high level of physics + math required to succeed in the course) include:

Electromagnetics (Need Calc III)
Semiconductor Devices (Similar to Solid State Devices)

I think this would be the best route for you. Also, if you enjoy physics, you don't need a degree in it - you can self study by yourself. It will be harder, but who says you need a B.S. degree to like physics? I know plenty of people who have studied the topics on their own. By your post, you seem to be worrying about your job prospect the most, and the route I advised above seems like the best fit.

 

[cdotter]

Throughout my job search, I've seen a handful of internship openings from companies like Boeing, IBM, BAE, and a few select others that "desire" Engineering, Physics, or Math majors. It's common, but not that common.

If I were you, this is what I'd do:

Since you are interested in physics and concerned about your future job prospects, why not major in Electrical Engineering? There are many courses that are math-heavy and lots of courses in physics (applied physics too). You can always take the physics courses such as QM that interest you as a technical elective sometime in your junior or senior year. I know many engineering schools that require electives and choosing a higher level physics class is one of them. In addition, since you like math, an engineering degree requires a lot of math. You probably won't be taking things like Real Analysis and such, but again, you can do these classes as an elective.

Some of the EE classes that you may enjoy (mainly because of the high level of physics + math required to succeed in the course) include:

Electromagnetics (Need Calc III)
Semiconductor Devices (Similar to Solid State Devices)

I think this would be the best route for you. Also, if you enjoy physics, you don't need a degree in it - you can self study by yourself. It will be harder, but who says you need a B.S. degree to like physics? I know plenty of people who have studied the topics on their own. By your post, you seem to be worrying about your job prospect the most, and the route I advised above seems like the best fit.

My school doesn't offer an EE, or any engineering program for that matter. Originally I wanted to do Electrical Engineering but the only public school that offers it is PSU Main, along with a bunch of (expensive) private schools.

The closest the university I'll be attending has is B.S. Physics + computer science electives + electromagnetism. I've looked at the EE courseloads at other universities and what I said above doesn't look too far off...but HR will see 'B.S. Physics' and throw my resume out.

 

[gravenewworld]

I don't really know how to start this, so I'll get to the point:

I'll be going to university in the fall because as it turns out being a minimum wage slave is horrible...anyways, my choice of major is a tossup between Physics and Computer Information Systems. I took Physics and AP Calculus my senior year in high school and I loved it. The material was interesting and I did very well in both classes, but I was an idiot and didn't bother taking the AP test because I didn't want to spend the $80. So I guess my point is that I like math and I'm not too bad at it.

So, if my college career will be anything like my high school career, let's assume I'll graduate in four years with a BS in Physics with a 3.4 GPA. I don't have any research or job experience because my university doesn't offer internships for Physics students and the internships I've found on my own are thousands of miles away and don't pay.

Now what? I'll be around $40,000 in debt from student loans. I would like to go on to graduate school for a Masters, but my debt dictates that I work for a bit to pay off my loans. What types of jobs are available? I've heard that finance jobs are available to Physics majors because they are good at maths and are great critical thinkers...but I'm not Mr. 4.0-GPA-Ivy-Leaguer, I'm an average student with a degree from a small liberal arts university with no related job experience...which leads me to believe I won't be qualified for these jobs. Not that I'd like to work in finance, however.

So, is it possible to get an industry job with just a BS in Physics? I've heard that Physics students can do engineering jobs...and I've heard they can't. I suppose to depends on who is in HR and what exactly the job is, but generally, would a Physics major stand a chance at getting an Engineering job? If not, what other math and science jobs would be available to an average student with a BS in Physics?

Thanks.

My roommate got a job right out of college working as a trader on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange as an options trader along with a kid who just graduated from college with a BS in physics. Needless to say they both ended up getting transferred to work on the NYSE and now probably make 6 figures, all of this only 2 years after college.

 

[user101]

My roommate got a job right out of college working as a trader on the Philadelphia Stock Exchange as an options trader along with a kid who just graduated from college with a BS in physics. Needless to say they both ended up getting transferred to work on the NYSE and now probably make 6 figures, all of this only 2 years after college.

What do they look for in these candidates? Sounds interesting.

 

[gravenewworld]

What do they look for in these candidates? Sounds interesting.

HIGH motivation. Analytical/critical thinker. Cockiness. Basically you have to be the guy that you can't push around on top of being good with numbers. My roommate actually tried to recruit me to get me to work where he works because I was a math major. Oh man do I regret not taking him up on the offer now.

 

[user101]

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but are these offers usually extended to people through networking or are they readily available on the websites of companies? or of the stock exchange?

 

[gravenewworld]

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but are these offers usually extended to people through networking or are they readily available on the websites of companies? or of the stock exchange?

I think he got it through either a head hunter or a job fair at my university.

 

[dotman]

You cannot get an engineering job with a physics degree unless you have taken engineering classes or have prior experience in engineering.

I concur with Laura-- this is simply untrue. I'm working in Engineering and have a four year physics degree. I had no prior experience and, to be honest, neither did anyone else. You learn on the job from the old timers, just like everyone else.

There are many paths into engineering, and getting a degree is just one. There are many people who start out as draftsmen. There are many more who become mechanical engineers after many years in the field in various capacities. There's no telling where life will take you.

I see all of these threads, and its like people are looking for a "Win" button. I'm smart, I got a Physics degree, now I should be successful. No degree is like that. No one can make you succeed but you. People say its about who you know, and to some extent, it is; but who you know comes from what you do, i.e., you know everyone because you've been there with all of them. It's all about experience, which is decidedly not what college gives you-- at least not as far as employers are concerned. And they're right.

Because you have no experience, you have to find another way. I could think of a hundred different paths into a well paying job, a well respected job, with a Physics degree. You have to tell them why-- how Physics has shown you that nothing is too difficult to overcome, nothing is too much for you. If there's one thing Physics teaches, it's how to figure things out-- and there's not a company out there who doesn't need people to do that. Bad GPA? So what! No one cares if you can demonstrate that you'll perform. Can't get past HR? Find a smaller company, and get in that way. You just have to be creative.

I'm actually in the reverse situation. I'm going to go back to school-- I want a PhD. And now I have to make that work, and its a tough situation-- I didn't graduate with a 4.0. But I'll tell you what-- I'm far stronger for the training I've received out "in the world", and know there are several paths back into what I want to do. And I'm going to make them work. I've taken my medicine, as mathwonk has said, and I'm better for it.

In any event, if you know what you're looking for, you'll find a way to do it. I work in FL, and I was recently forwarded a job ad from a company who works with NASA, an engineering position. The position is probably still open, I haven't applied yet, although I'm considering it. And here's the kicker-- they're looking for people with little or no experience, and a degree in either Math, Engineering, or Physics. It's a great opportunity, and I'm sure any of you who have posted could compete for this.

The jobs are out there.

 

[cdotter]

Would I be an ideal candidate for an engineering job if I did Physics + CS Minor + select electives? Here are the lists of classes:

Physics Major:
CHM 1111 - GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
CHM 1112 - GENERAL CHEMISTRY II
MA 2231 - CALCULUS I
MA 2232 - CALCULUS II
MA 2233 - CALCULUS III
MA 3280 - LINEAR ALGEBRA AND MATRIX THEORY
MA 3311 - DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS I
MA 3312 - DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS II
PHY 1180 - QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES
PHY 2210 - GENERAL PHYSICS I
PHY 2211 - GENERAL PHYSICS II
PHY 3311 - MODERN PHYSICS I
PHY 3312 - MODERN PHYSICS II
PHY 3313 - PHYSICAL MECHANICS I
PHY 3315 - ANALOG ELECTRONICS
PHY 3316 - DIGITAL ELECTRONICS

Computer Science Minor:
CIS 1104 - COMPUTER SCIENCE I
CIS 2204 - COMPUTER SCIENCE II
CIS 3301 - DATA STRUCTURES
CIS 3330 - COMPUTER ORGANIZATION

Miscellaneous Electives:
PHY 3319 - INTRODUCTION TO SOLID STATE PHYSICS
PHY 4401 - ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM I
PHY 4402 - ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM II
PHY 4415 - PHYSICS RESEARCH I
PHY 4416 - PHYSICS RESEARCH II

Do you guys think I would be eligible for an entry level Electrical Engineering position with those classes? I've got the mathematics, the chemistry, the computer science, the electronics, and magnetism, and some research experience if I did all of this (which should be manageable).