What Can I Do With a Physics Major?
A physics education makes many career paths accessible. As the branch of science dealing with matter, energy, and their interactions, the study of physics provides a unique platform for examining many difference scientific problems. Physics majors go on to be astronauts, astronomers, research scientists of many kinds, engineers, applied mathematicians, environmental safety officers, and software developers among many other careers in science and engineering. Nora Johnson ('05, above left) and Kelsie Betsch ('05, above right) are pursing research careers, and their graduate study paths led them to collaborate on an experiment at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching Germany.
Outside of science and engineering, physicists may be found in many different settings, including medicine, law (physics majors get the highest scores of any group on the LSAT exam), finance, journalism, education, public policy, consulting, and many other options, such as video game development or roller coaster design. An Augustana physics graduate now works for Weta Digital and won an Academy Award for special effects work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The common theme is that a physics education gives you the skills to solve complex problems in a wide variety of career settings.
