Career Opportunities
Because of the broad-based skills acquired by physics majors, graduates can take on jobs in financial, electronic, computer software and high-tech industries as well as entering graduate schools in physics, bio-physics, chemical physics, material science, and other engineering disciplines. In addition the critical thinking, problem solving, and collaborative skills one learns as a physics student are applicable in practically any career field.
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) conducts extensive studies of the careers and education of physics students. A comprehensive and up-to-date review of this data can be found at the AIP Statistics site.
The Sloan Career Cornerstone Center is a superb source of information about career opportunities for those with a degrees in physics - from a bachelor's degree to a Ph D. You will find that there are many opportunities outside of research with salaries which are competitive.
Other Links:
- Indiana University Career Development Center
- NSF Science and Engineering Statistics
- Education Division of the American Institute of Physics
- AIP Career Network
- AAPM: American Association of Physicists in Medicine
Research Opportunities
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Physics students have ample opportunity to work with faculty, scientists and staff in the various research labs in the Physics Department and Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF). Working in a real research environment is an invaluable experience - a very important one in your education. You develop skills in electronics, hardware, software in addition to the written and oral communication and interpersonal skills needed to work in collaborations.
As an example, students working in the Nuclear/Particle Physics Group, such as IUSTARS student Sam Adams (pictured at the right), attend weekly research meetings at which they present current work in collaboration with scientists and engineers. Sam is studying the optical connection between lead glass bars and sensitive photon detectors. This work is part of the design process for the GlueX experiment, which will study confinement of quarks.
In addition to research opportunities within the department, several Indiana University physics majors have participated in undergraduate research opportunities provided by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Applied Physics students have also interned at local companies.
Every summer, the NSF-Sponsored REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program brings twenty or so physics majors from throughout the country to work with scientists and engineers at both the IU Cyclotron and IU Department of Physics.
Research Contacts
