Anyone's kids majoring in Physics?

[Tinijocaro]

DS16 would really like to major in physics and we are just starting to look into this with him. We have no idea what the job possibilities are for him when he gets out. It is assumed that he will need to get a master's degree (as it is in most fields).

Wondering if anyone out there has kids who have graduated with a physics degree and what they have done since. We know he could continue on and work in academia, research...we spoke to the pysics dept chair at a major university in our area who assured us that there are plenty of jobs out there but I wanted to hear from real parents with real kids.

He could do anything in a math or science related field (engineering) but is focused on physics.

Any help out there? Also, if you are in the WNY area, any help with which schools are best for this field?

 

[rwdavis2]

Not sure what a physics major would do. Don't take the dept. chair's word for it. Physics is pretty a esoteric field. What does he like about it. The field is quite broad and here are some subfields:

http://physics.gmu.edu/old/department/program/subfields_of_physics.htm

If he can handle physics he is also smart enough for an engineering degree which would be more useful. He could still minor or even double major in physics.

 

[Pigeon]

I work at a university. Most of the good jobs in physics are for people with PhDs. With a BS or even an MS, you're likely looking at a lab tech position.

Cornell, Stony Brook, University of Rochester, RIT, UBuffalo, RPI, Syracuse and UAlbany all have physics programs that rank pretty well.

 

[rwdavis2]

I work at a university. Most of the good jobs in physics are for people with PhDs. With a BS or even an MS, you're likely looking at a lab tech position.

Cornell, Stony Brook, University of Rochester, RIT, UBuffalo, RPI, Syracuse and UAlbany all have physics programs that rank pretty well.

Well said. I work at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab and all the physicists here have PhDs.

 

[deegack]

Bil majored in physics and packs boxes in a warehouse. If he is really interested in physics he would need to get a masters at a minimum and more likely a phd.
Dh is a heavy construction engineer and he uses physics all the time. Just another area to look into. He has a bs degree.

 

[kisaacs]

Well, I can tell you that my best friend majored in physics. We graduated in 2000. She loved physics but didn't want to go on to get a graduate degree and found that she also enjoyed computer science as she took some electives in that field.

She made the switch right out of college to get a software development job and stayed in that field. Many of the physical science, engineering, and math fields allow you to make some moves throughout your career rather than staying strictly in the one you majored in. In fact, he may find that partway through his degree he finds something else that pulls his interest as well. I, for one, was a Computational and Applied Math major, and have done software development, business analysis, and project management, among other things.

All of the technical and science related majors teach you how to think and solve problems, and that's going to be his biggest takeaway.

Kristen

 

[luvmy3]

I work at a university. Most of the good jobs in physics are for people with PhDs. With a BS or even an MS, you're likely looking at a lab tech position.

Cornell, Stony Brook, University of Rochester, RIT, UBuffalo, RPI, Syracuse and UAlbany all have physics programs that rank pretty well.

My dh is a physicist with his PhD, he went to 2 of the schools you mentioned. He works in research and there they all have their PhDs. There are lab techs there, but most of them are Engineers.

OP, he has talked about a website he frequents where there are students interested in Physics posting questions and they are answered by those in the field. I can ask him about it when he gets home and pm you if you would like.

 

[ILoveToRun]

My best friends sister majored in physics and got a job easily in the west Portland metro area. Although, that area is known as the silicon forest so there are LOTS of opportunities for physics/mathematics/engineering students.

I'm not sure about where you live, or where your son plans to live in respect to job availability in the area.

Luckily, physics, like mathematics, is a very broad subject so it can apply in a lot of places. Also, with a degree in physics, I know at my university and with my friend's sister, you are required to take a least majors level general chemistry and sometimes o-chem so it would only be a year in biology and your son would have the qualifications for most medical schools. They also require calculus which will be taken care of and then some with physics.

I understand the love for physics though, I am getting a minor in physics and I would major in it but I love chemistry more.

Like others have said though, most jobs in the science field will look for some kind of graduate work. But if he loves physics so much, I'm sure he won't mind.

 

[shortbun]

My 16yo wants to be a Paleontologist; same issues. PHD needed. Otherwise, he's likely to become a science teacher-great job, not doing scientific like he wants though.

 

[Tinijocaro]

Thank you to all who have replied so far. As I thought, physics can be a springboard to many different jobs. DS assumes he will have to get a masters if he goes into physics and if he wants tobe in research or academia, he will need a phd.

It certainly doesn't sound like it is a dead-end field at all. Of course any field without the proper degrees would be a dead-end.

luvmy3, I would love the name of that site, don't mind if you post it on here, or pm if you like. Thanks.

Would love to hear from more people.

 

[Pigeon]

UAlbany has a nanoscale science and engineering program that is heavy on physics and very, very hot right now that he might think about.

 

[Anne34]

My brother majored in physics and does health instructing at a nuclear power plant.

 

[Pigeon]

Duplicate removed.

 

[prncess674]

I agree with others is to ask him what it is about physics that he likes. It is hard to tell from a single high school class whether it is something you want to do for the rest of your life. It may just be that the teacher is engaging and what he enjoys is the problem solving aspect, etc.

I enjoyed many of my high school and college level science classes but figured out early on that I enjoyed helping other people figure out complex issues, so I ended up working for a large management consulting firm. I didn't love the rote aspect of "solve for X" or "What is the joules output of Y" aspects.

 

[jsmith]

My son is currently a Phd Student in Physics at the University of Michigan-he has about 3 semesters left to finish his degree and then will have to decide whether to pursue a job or Post-doc. Physics Phd programs are not a walk in the park and if he really wants to do science as in research or working in academia he needs to play for a 4 year degree, 5 or so years of grad school and some time as a post-doc.

 

[Jewel1310]

My son is in a Phd program in Physics. One of the benefits of Physics is that often Phd programs are fully or partially funded. The student will have to teach or do research but funded tuition and a stipend is an amazing benefit. It doesn't appear that there is much funding for Masters programs.

 

[disfan07]

My dad has a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Physics.

This is his opinion on the subject of an undergraduate degree in Physics:

He said the best piece of advice his dad ever gave him was telling him NOT to major in physics for undergraduate because it would be a worthless degree if he did not go to graduate school. So on his dads advice, he majored in electrical engineering and got his masters in Physics. He is so beyond grateful for his dads advice because he was right....if he had not gone any futher, he would have had a BS in engineering which would have been useful...but if he had a BS in Physics without going to grad school, he would have basically been at a dead end.

My dad has worked in the defense contracting industry in various companies for the past 35+ years. He is technically an engineer, but his Masters degree in Physics gives him a huge edge in what he does. He uses physics and calculus everyday.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

SIL has a Masters degree in physics. She has worked for various tech companies in product development and does very well there.

 

[SoonerKate]

My husband has a BS in physics and a masters in Mechanical Engineering; he works in engineering for a defense contractor.

My dad has a physics PhD and is a professor and the head of a physics department at a major research university.

 

[IUTBAM]

Medical physics/biophysics is a very booming field at the moment. My DD was majoring in that as pre-vet, but recently switched to public health as it lines up better with her future vet school plans (DVM/MPH).