Physics and Astronomy - using your degree
From CareersWiki
Contents |
Introduction
A degree from Scotland's first university is an excellent start to any future career. St Andrews has a reputation for excellence and the ability to attract the brightest students world wide. With this as a starting point you are well on the way to impressing future employers.
Graduates in physics tend to be extremely well qualified for further research and a scientific career, depending on the level to which they have specialized in their undergraduate degree. However, it’s also important to recognize that the basic elements of any physics program will teach you to be a good scientist, developing essential skills such as designing experiments, making accurate measurements and analyzing results.
Physics is also regarded very highly as a generalist qualification leading to a range of careers. Common occupations for physics graduates include research, management, sales, higher education, industry of all kinds, medical technology and the civil service. Outside of the scientific world, like many other undergraduate degrees, physics will open the door to a range of careers; skills such as problem solving, information handling, clear communication, computer and IT skills and critical reasoning are as applicable to a career in banking and financial analysis as they are in any laboratory.
In fact, according to a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, physics graduates earn around £187,000 more during their career than someone with A-levels/Highers but no degree, whereas history and English graduates increase their earnings by only about half as much. In the UK, graduates in physics earn more than those in most other disciplines.
| Print friendly leaflet on What can I do with Physics |
The Careers Centre can provide information on a comprehensive range of careers including those detailed above. There are specialist advisers for different occupational areas. We offer 20 minute drop-in sessions on a first come, first served basis. Drop-in is available for all students and recent graduates of the University of St Andrews on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 2.00pm - 4.00pm.
Students who are in their penultimate or final year and those studying for a Masters or Phd, can book an appointment with a careers adviser. Booked appointments generally last up to 30 minutes. Visit Careers advice for further details.
Student / Alumni Profiles
Students and alumni from the School of Physics & Astronomy have kindly agreed to share their experiences of work and other career-related activities with you. These profiles illustrate the wide range of careers, internships, volunteering and other work experience opportunities open to students and alumni from your School. Check regularly to see what's new.
Where Our Graduates Go
| Year | Organisation/Company | Position | Physics Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Smith International | Field Engineer | Yes |
| 2011 | Ernst & Young | Audit Associate | Not directly |
| 2011 | RBS Securities Japan Ltd | Financial Analyst | Not directly |
| 2010 | Rolls Royce | Engineer | Yes |
| 2010 | Royal Bank of Scotland | Technology Analyst | Not directly |
| 2010 | Tesco | IT Consultant | Not directly |
| 2009 | Sharp Laboratories | Graduate Researcher | Yes |
| 2009 | Selex | Research Scientist | Yes |
| 2009 | University of York | Fusion Energy | Yes |
| 2009 | Brockenhurst College | Physics Technician | Yes |
| 2009 | Barclays Bank | Credit Risk Modeller | Not directly |
| 2009 | Standard Life | Chartered Accountant | Not directly |
| 2009 | Kaplan (China) | Maths/Physics Teacher | Yes |
| 2009 | University of Aberdeen | PGDE Secondary Physics/Science | Yes |
| 2009 | DSTL | Rotorcraft Survivability Analyst | Yes |
| 2003 (CAN) | Electoral Reform International Services (London) | Politics Goverance and Democracy Programme Manager | Not directly |
| 1987 (CAN) | Oxford University Press | Development Editor (Science) | Yes |
- Careers Alumni Network (CAN) indicates these alumni are willing and keen to be contacted to help St Andrews students with their careers search.
- The School of Physics & Astronomy has a page of Graduate Destinations of Physics/Astronomy graduates.
Where Our Postgraduates Go
| Year | Organisation/Company | Position | Physics/Astronomy Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | University of New South Wales - Australia | Senior Research Associate | Yes |
| 2010 | Cantab Capital Partners | Hedge Fund | Not directly |
| 2010 | Fiamm | Product Manager - Electronic Engineer | Yes |
| 2010 | University of Dundee | KTP Associate | Yes |
| 2009 | U-Turn Recovery Project | IT Support | Not directly |
| 2009 | Buhler Sortex | Electro Optic Development Engineer | Yes |
| 2009 | Serco | Computer Modelling Consultant | Yes |
| 2009 | Institute Of Theoretical Astrophysics | Senior Researcher | Yes |
| 2009 | Osram | Development Engineer | Yes |
| 2009 | Morson International/Selex Galileo | Laser Engineer | Yes |
| 2008 | MET Office | Climate Scientist | Yes |
| 2008 | Scottish Power Renewables | Energy Yield Analyst | Yes |
| 2007 | Quatar Liquefiled Gas Company | Senior Hydrocarbon Accounting Engineer | Yes |
| 2006 | Madras College | Physics Teacher | Yes |
| 2006 | Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique | Postdoctoral Researcher | Yes |
Popular Occupations for Physics Graduates Nationally
Physics graduates are employed in many industries. Only a small minority use their physics knowledge or technical skills as a major part of their work.
A 2010 HESA survey of 2009 graduates indicates that, six months after graduation, just over a third of new graduates were employed either full or part time. Of these, 16% were in business and financial roles, 9% were in scientific research and development and a further 8% were in engineering.
Approximately 8% were in management roles in the private and public sector and another 8% had secured work in other technical and professional areas. Nearly a quarter of the physics graduates who went straight into employment worked initially in administrative roles, retail or catering. This may have been to gain work experience or pay the bills while deciding which career to follow.
Scientist Training Programme (STP)
From 2011, in England the new graduate entry Healthcare Scientist Training Programme (STP) will replace the Clinical Scientist Training Scheme. As part of the new modernised national training scheme, NHS trusts have been funded to offer approximately 190 salaried training posts in life sciences, physics and clinical engineering or physiological sciences throughout England.
Applications for the 2012 intake to the NHS Healthcare Scientist Training Programme are now closed. The closing date was 27 February 2012. Further details.
Physics Summer Internships & Work Experience
It can be very valuable to gain experience of work in various areas, but particularly in those areas that you are considering as a future career.
- The University Careers Centre has information on vacation jobs
- Remember to network with students in more senior years, family and friends they may have suggestions and contacts.
- The Institute of Physics has produced a Work Placements Booklet which contains an extensive index of relevant companies offering placements, tips on how to maximise the work placement experience and case studies of successful placements. Membership of the IoP is required to access this online publication (currently free to students).
- The School website gives various suggestions
- Check out the new Undergraduate Research Internship Programme at St Andrews
- Our Student Staff Council organises placements competitively at Fermilab (Chicago) and the High Magnetic Field Lab (Grenoble)
- Places such as CERN and ESA are large science organisations offering placements
- The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience, IAESTE
- Many companies, both inside and outside physics, offer placements
- Reference the Internships in the US - Science wiki for internships, fellowships, and summer research opportunities in the United States
Making the most of your time at St Andrews
Mark Gaskell (grad 2012), has written an article on enhancing employability through work experience. Read how Mark secured several work placements and acquired a wide range of different experiences and skills.
Mark Gaskell - Making the most of your time at St Andrews (pdf)
The table below aims to give some examples of the experiences of Physics students.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities at St Andrews
Over the course of each summer in St Andrews, there may be up to about a dozen undergraduates working on some form of summer research project in the Physics & Astronomy Department. Each of these students will be working under a supervisor and possibly in a research team, usually receiving some sort of financial backing.
Employability Profile
Over the course of your degree you develop a good mix of subject specific and technical skills as well as transferable core skills. Consider these alongside your other activities, such as paid work, volunteering, family responsibilities, sport, membership of societies, leadership roles, etc. Think about how these can be used as evidence of your skills and personal attributes. Then you can start to market and sell who you really are, identify what you may be lacking and consider how to improve your profile. Studying physics gives you a range of technical skills that relate to different areas such as astrophysics, particle physics, electromagnetism, quantum and classical mechanics, statistical physics and thermodynamics, wave phenomena and the properties of matter. Physics courses also allow you to develop numerous transferable skills that are valued by employers.
Skills
The profile below identifies the skills that can be developed through the study of your discipline based on subject benchmark statements developed by UK higher education academic communities.
This table is able to help you to identify the valuable skills that you can offer to potential employers.
| Knowledge | |
|---|---|
| Skill | Resources available to help you |
| Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of fundamental physical laws and principles and apply these principles to diverse area of physics | Most modules do this. Final year project work can be particularly valued by employers. Internships are a nice bonus to have |
| Solve problems in physics by identifying the appropriate principles, using science
techniques such as special and limiting cases and order-of-magnitude estimates | Most modules in physics should be doing this. Case studies in the Transferable Skills module do this explicitly, and lab modules should be very much involved in this. |
| Solve problems by making assumptions and approximations explicit | Good work on tutorial and other problems should help here |
| Identify relevant principles and laws of physics when dealing with problems | This should be a skill that is developed in your work in all modules |
| Plan, carry out, analyse and report the results of an experiment or investigation | From first year onwards our labs allow you to develop these skills and provide evidence of attainment. The final year project is particularly good for this. |
| Analyse data and evaluate the level of uncertainty in results | Teaching labs and the project are of prime importance here. |
| Understand mathematical modelling and of the role of approximation | This is covered in some of the early maths modules, in the honours computational physics course, and is some lab work. |
| Develop the confidence to try different approaches in tackling challenging problems | This should be developed through tutorial and lab work |
| Develop skills of independent investigation | Transferable Skills for Physicists, labs, final year project, and other modules should be helping our students become independent learners and researchers. |
| Communicate well, listen carefully, read demanding texts, and present complex information
clearly and concisely | Some of this should be in most modules, and some is explicitly developed in Transferable Skills for Physicists |
| Pay attention to detail and manipulate precise and intricate ideas, construct logical
arguments and use technical language correctly | Some of this should be in most modules, and some is explicitly developed in Transferable Skills for Physicists |
| Develop computing and IT skills in a variety of ways, including using appropriate
programming languages and packages | Comp Sci modules early on, computing techniques in honours physics and astronomy labs, information retrieval and PowerPoint in Transferable Skills for Physicists, potential extras in this area in the final year project. |
| Work independently, using initiative, planning and organising to meet deadlines, and interact
constructively with other people | This should pervade our students’ study. |
| Manipulate numerically and present and interpret information graphically | This should be being tackled in most modules, but perhaps most often seen in lab based work. |
| Produce clear and accurate scientific reports | Labs give practice in keeping a good lab book and occasionally practice in formal reporting. Transferable Skills for Physicists develop these skills further |
| Manage own learning | |
| Use laboratory apparatus and techniques soundly | Obtained through work in teaching labs and often in the final year project. |
| Analyse critically the results of an experiment or investigation and draw valid conclusions | Obtained through work in teaching labs and often in the final year project. |
| Evaluate the level of uncertainty in experiment results and
compare these results with expected outcomes, and evaluate the significance of the results. | Obtained through work in teaching labs and often in the final year project |
Physics and Astronomy Careers/Employability Link
Each School has a Careers/Employability Link who "champions" employability. Yours is Dr Bruce Sinclair. If you have any information on courses, jobs or placements which would be of interest to your fellow students please let him know. Alternatively you can contact the Employability Coordinator for the University, Pamela Andrew,at pea1.
Links
- Destination Statistics of St Andrews graduates
- The Higher Education Academy - Using your Physics or Astronomy degree to get a job (click on Employability Guide - Physics and Astronomy)
- Institute of Physics
- Institute of Physics link to 'The Nuclear Industry - Opportunities for Physicists' (IoP membership required)
- Guardian Careers - What can I do with a degree in physics?
- Nano Initiative Summer Placements
- Physics Vacancies
- Research and postgrad. jobs in Europe
- Interconnect Interconnect is the network for women studying science, engineering, technology and the built environment in Scotland. Connect with other students, qualified women and employers to start your career before you finish your studies.
- Research Gate research jobs
