Career Options
Careers for Physics Majors
- Research Scientist
- Computer Programmer
- Engineer
- Physician
- Medical Physicist
- Nuclear Physicist
- Geophysicist
- Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physicist
- Astronomer
- Astrophysicist
- Space Physicist
- Teacher/Professor
- Science Writer/Editor
- Oceanographer
- Laser Engineer
- Photo Optic Technician
- Quality Control Manager
- Technical Consultant
- Project Manager
- Kinesiologist
- Nuclear Imaging Technologist
Starting Salary*
A physics major’s typical starting salary is $46,015. The typical salary after 10–19 years is $92,787.
*Note: Salary information is provided for general reference only. APU does not guarantee the accuracy of the figures listed, and cannot predict or promise a specific salary for any graduate. For the most current salary estimates, please visit www.payscale.com.
Job Titles Held by Former Physics Majors
- Intel Fellow, Director of the Photonics Technology Lab, Intel
- Spokesman, Muon Anomalous Magnetic Moment Experiment, Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Marketing Group Director, Food Service and Hospitality Division, Coca Cola
- Engineer, Space Station Freedom
- CEO, Orchid BioSciences
- Airborne Sensors Product Branch Chief
U.S. Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency Test Resources Directorate - Director, Business Development, Lockheed Martin IS&S
- Senior Engineer, Cryomagnetics, Inc.
- New Product Introduction Engineer, Volex, Inc.
- Programmer/Analyst, Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
- Senior Engineering Manager, Nokia Mobile Phones
- Chief of Clinical Physics, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
- Scientific Advisor, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, TDAT
- Research Engineer, Center for Applied Optics
- Statistical Engineer (Vehicle Assembly), General Motors
- Staff Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Product Manager, Carl Zeiss Nano Technology Systems
Famous People with Physics Degrees
- Isaac Newton (physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, theologian)
- Albert Einstein (theoretical physicist)
- Stephen Hawking (mathematical physicist)
- Jimmy Carter (Former U.S. President)
Note: This information is current for the 2009-10 academic year; however, all stated academic information is subject to change. Please refer to the current Academic Catalog for the most current and controlling information. For additional information, please contact the appropriate office.
