Employability squared
In addition to the core and subject-specific skills you’ll gain with a physics degree, you’ll also develop transferable skills like problem solving, numeracy and data analysis. These skills are greatly valued by employers! Let’s explore some of the options available to highly-employable physics graduates…
Research
There are a wide range of jobs directly related to physics. You could become a research scientist, designing and carrying out experiments to prove the existence of natural phenomena. The research you collect will be used to develop new products, or to improve existing ones. To enter into the field, you’ll need a good honours degree in a related subject. For higher level roles, you’ll probably need to have a research-based MSc or PhD.
You could also choose to become an academic researcher, using your expertise to publish papers in peer-reviewed journals. Academic researchers tend to write books and reports on their research, and are often involved in teaching university students. You might even find yourself speaking at conferences! To become an academic researcher, you’ll need extensive qualifications and experience in your area of interest. This usually involves completing a master’s course, followed by a PhD.
Medicine
If you’d like to combine your interest in physics and medicine, you could become a medical physics clinical scientist. These scientists research, develop, test and maintain specialist equipment used to diagnose health conditions.
Working alongside healthcare professionals, you’ll be implementing patient treatment programmes, catching diseases and treating them before they worsen. You can become a clinical scientist by taking the NHS Scientist Training Programme (STP), a full-time, work-based learning and training programme that lasts three years.
Meteorology
Have you ever watched a weather report? If so, you’ve seen a meteorologist in action. Meteorologists use the land, oceans and atmosphere to make short and long-term weather forecasts. The field is divided into two specialisms: weather forecasting and research.
Weather forecasters provide weather predictions for organisations like insurance companies, the media and the shipping industry. They do this by measuring factors such as air pressure and temperature and applying physical and mathematical relationships.
The other specialism is research. Meteorologist researchers develop models to improve the accuracy of forecasts, monitor changes in the atmosphere and monitor climate changes. They then apply this research to give weather warnings, or to predict the long-term effects of climate change.
To become a meteorologist, you’ll need a scientific degree, with researchers needing a meteorology-related postgraduate degree. To work for the Met Office, the UK’s national weather service, you’ll need a STEM degree, good results in A-Level/AS-Level Maths or Physics, and a demonstrable interest in the weather.
Geoscience
Geoscience is a large field, with a number of job opportunities available within the field. Geoscientists are typically involved in the discovery and use of natural resources, like oil, gas, water and minerals.
Responsibilities vary depending on your chosen specialisation, but you’ll typically collect geological information in the field, collaborate with drilling engineers to determine drilling locations, and develop geological modules of the earth, to understand the distribution of oil, gas and minerals.
Careers you might pursue include: geochemist, geologist, geophysicist and hydrogeologist. Many geoscientists go onto further study in a relevant area of geoscience, as this improves your employment prospects and could lead to a higher salary.
Teaching
Is it impossible for you to imagine leaving education? If so, you might wish to become a physics teacher. You’ll teach your students about the laws that govern the universe, via a range of hands-on experiments.
In addition to the physical act of teaching, you’ll also: design lessons, monitor your pupils progress via homework, exams and class participation, assist students who need additional support and supervise field trips.
To become a secondary school teacher, you must have a degree and achieve qualified teacher status (QTS.) You’ll gain specialist physics knowledge and will be taught how to pass this on to secondary school pupils.
Engineering
Even though a career as an engineer is not directly related to physics, the broad-ranging nature of physics, combined with the transferable skills a physics degree gives you, means that many physics graduates end up as engineers.
There are a wide range of engineering careers for which physics would be useful. Electronics engineers develop and design electronic devices or processes, working with the product from the initial brief up to manufacture. Materials engineers work on the manufacture, development and production of a wide range of materials, testing the resistance of materials to harm and whether the final product complies with quality standards.
Software engineers apply mathematical analysis and computer science to design and develop computer software. Although the requirements for jobs differ depending on what sort of engineering role you’re after, you’ll typically need a good degree in a STEM subject, and proven interest in your chosen specialism.