Science OutreachJoan Gladwyn

What good is a physics degree?

Graduate Destination Survey

• 22 Australian universities• 171 physics graduates responded• Following results are from 108 respondents who

graduated after 1990• 42% graduated after 2000• 47% have a postgraduate degree• Male:female ratio is 2:1• Funded by the Australian Learning and Teaching

Council.(http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/super/ALTC/ )

Would you recommend a major in physics as useful training for your

current job?

• YES: 75

• NO:22

• Of the 22, 15 of those believe that a smaller physics component would be a useful training for their current job

UC Physics and Astronomy

• Review of past physics graduates http://www.phys.canterbury.ac.nz/careers.shtml

• Graduate Survey 1998- students from 1976-1996

Graduate Survey 1998

• How relevant have your physics studies been to your employment since graduation?

1----2----3----4----5----6----7

Not at all Very relevant

Average rating 4.73

Graduate Survey 1998

• How valuable has your physics degree been to you?

1----2----3----4----5----6----7

Not at all Very valuable

Average rating 5.48

American Physical Society

• http://www.aps.org/careers

Lecturer

Teacher

Computer programmer

Engineer

Research physicist

Other research

Technician(physics)

Technician (other)

Health Sciences

management

Pilot

Postgraduate

Other

No information

not applicable

Job titles of respondents

Institute of Physics (UK)

Links to career areas• http://www.iop.org/activity/careers/what/index.htmlProfiles of those who still work in physics and those who

trained but have moved into other areas • http://www.iop.org/activity/careers/workinglife/index.html Jobs which can be done by physicists plus physics jobs

• IOP’s new jobs website, brightrecruits

Publications for different age groups about science and physics jobs

• http://www.iop.org/activity/education/Careers/Publications/page_5893.html

• 16+ leaflet

Institute of Physics (UK)

• “Over half of all physicists work in Research and Development, Engineering, and Information Technology. Some physicists work on problems at the frontiers of knowledge; others tackle the challenging problems which arise in the application of physics to industrial and engineering problems.

• If you want to be well paid, a physics degree can help you get a job in finance, telecommunications or the electrical industry. According to a survey of Institute of Physics members, these sector have an average starting salary of about £40K.($100K NZ)”

Institute of Physics

“list of typical sectors where physicists are found”

UK Employers 2002-2007

Agriculture & Forestry

Mining & quarying

Manufacturing

Electricity, gas & w ater supply

Construction

Motor vehicles, personal & household goods

Hotels & restaurants

Transport, storage & communication

Financial activities

Property , renting, business and research activities

Public administration & defence/social security

Education

Health & social w ork

Other community, social & personal service activities

UK Employers 2002-2007

• 15 of University of Canterbury’s past Medical Physics (2004-2008) students are currently employed in hospitals around the country contributing to health care service for the community in either Radiotherapy, Diagnostic Radiology or Nuclear Medicine Departments

• Plus laser work, depending on hospital• Salaries NZ $75K-95K on qualification, more in US

• Or work in research….

Medical physics

• Achieve Bachelor of Science with Physics major• Apply for registrar position as medical physicist (one or all of

six hospitals)• Simultaneously enrol for Masters in Medical Physics at UC

(fees, course books paid by hospital)• Year 1 spent at UC• Years 2 and 3 half time in hospital working, half time in

hospital on thesis research. (Earning $25-50K/yr salary)• Years 4 and 5 full time training in hospital• Take exams, become accredited by Australasian College of

Physical scientists and Engineers in Medicine• Work anywhere in the world

Medical physics

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Meteorology

• Of last year’s PHYS316 class (geophysical fluid dynamics) 2 out of 12 obtained jobs with Metservice

• Around 20 graduates per year, in physics or maths, are taken for training,

• 41 week training course, concurrently with VUW postgraduate diploma or certificate in meteorology

• More at http://www.metservice.co.nz/public/aboutMetservice/trainee.html

Nanotechnologist

Graduate students are needed to work on the following projects:• Novel Electronic Devices Formed by Deposition of Atomic Clusters• Applications of Nano-wire based devices• Cluster Structures formed through Diffusion Limited Aggregation• Electron Diffraction as a Probe of the Structure of Atomic Clusters• Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Atomic Clusters• Electrical characterisation of the properties of cluster assembled nanodevices.• Alloy nanoparticles for growth of carbon nanotubes

Astronomer/Astrophysicist

Geophysics• Active Tectonics, • Engineering Geology, • Geoarchaeology• Hazards and Paleoclimate programmes, • mapping of bedrock topography; • hydrogeology, • glaciology, particularly glacier thickness

and internal structure • hydrology

What good is a physics degree?