Physics Majors Guide
Skills and Abilities
- Understanding of fundamental physical principles
- Research & Laboratory experience
- Quantitative skills
- Attention to detail
- Effective communicator, present information clearly and effectively
- Apply and integrate fundamental scientific principles
- Statistical analysis & complex problem-solving ability
- Use of technical tools
Areas of Expertise
| Computing | Imaging Technology |
| Communications | Environmental Remediation |
| Field Applied Research | Instrumentation Design and Fabrication |
| Applied Mathematics | Solid State Physics |
Possible Fields
- Education: teaching
- Energy: development of new sources (e.g. fusion, wind), improving efficiency and safety
- Environment: pollution monitoring, remote sensing, noise control
- Government: science and technology policy, patent law
- Industry: Semiconductor, Optoelectronics, Computer and Telecommunications
- Information Science: libraries, museums, bioinformatics
- Medicine: health care, medical physics, biophysics and radiological protection
- Meteorology: weather forecasting, atmospheric modeling, oceanography
- Research: government, educational or industrial research institutes addressing problems of a fundamental or technological nature
- Scientific Writing: publishing, journalism
Possible Careers
| Beamline Scientist | Mathematician |
| Biophysicist | Radiologist |
| Computer Scientist | Research Scientist |
| Imaging Physicist | Staff Scientist |
Sample Careers of MIT Physics Alumni
- Director of Exhibits, Museum of Science
- Quantitative Analyst, Fidelity Investments
- Post-Doctoral Fellow, Harvard University
- Managing General Partner, Ampersand Ventures
- Professor, MIT Physics-Spectro Lab
- Senior Scientist, Waters Corporation
- Associate Scientist, Marine Biological Labs
- Research Scientist, Center for Space Research
- Vice President, Goldman Sachs & Company
- Manager-Systems Development, Kraft Dairy Group
- Scientist, Cytometrics Incorportated
To contact alumni in your area of interest, check out the ICAN network at http://alum.mit.edu/cs/ican.
Companies and Organizations That Have Hired Physics Majors*
| American Association of Variable Star Observers | Amptek, Inc | AMR |
| Art New England Magazine | Arthur D. Little, Inc. | Atlas Copco Air Compressors |
| Autometric, Inc. | Badionics Software, Inc. | Best Medical International |
| Borr Associates | Boston IT | Bruker Analytical Systems |
| Design Continuum | EG&G Optoelectronics | Elcom Systems, Inc. |
| Energy Investments Inc. | Entropic Systems, Inc. | Fiber Optics Center Inc. |
| FLEXcon | Frontier Technology, Inc. | Gillette Corporation |
| Harvard Translations | Hutchinson Technology | I-Cube |
| IBM | IntelliSense Corporation | International Press |
| John Hancock Insurance Company | Joslin Diabetes Center | KTAADN |
| Lasertron | Legacy Technology, Inc. | Lycos, Inc. |
| M.H. Promotion Group | Mathsoft | Meditech |
| Meritech, Inc. | MJ Research | Monaco Systems |
| Monitor Company | MTS Group | One Wave, Inc. |
| Parametric Technology Corporation | PM Systems | Precision Detectors, Inc. |
| Raytheon | RMD, Inc. | Sapient Corporation |
| Siemens Rolm | Sienna | State Street Bank |
| Teletype | Teradyne | Test Devices |
| The Math Works, Inc. | TLW, Inc. | VentureCom, Inc. |
* Source: AIP Statistical Research Center, Initial Employment Surveys, 1996-1998, http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/states/massachusetts.html.
Professional Associations
- American Physical Society, http://www.aps.org/
- American Institute of Physics, http://www.aip.org/
- American Association for the Advancement of Science, http://www.aaas.org/
Career and Job Search Internet Resources
- Sloan Career Cornerstone Center (SCCC), http://www.careercornerstone.org
- Center for Theoretical Physics, http://www-ctp.mit.edu/links.html
- High Energy Physics Information Center, http://www.hep.net/
- Careers in Physics, Georgia Tech, http://www.physics.gatech.edu/career/
- PhysLink - Physics and Astronomy, http://www.physlink.com/
Print Resources
- Preparing Physicists for Work, a publication of the American Institute of Physics, Career Services Division, College Park, MD, September 1997. To order see http://www.aip.org/careers
- Landing Your First Job: A Guide for Physics Students, a publication of the American Institute of Physics, Career Services Division, College Park, MD. To order see http://www.aip.org/careers
- The Industrial Physicist (magazine): Has articles like "Switching from Physics to Biology."Woodbury, NY : American Institute of Physics, c1995 - [Science Library - Journal Collection | QC.I42] .
- Fiske, Peter S., Ph.D., Put Your Science to Work: The Take-Charge Guide for Scientists, Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union, 2000.
- Peters, Robert L. Getting What You Came For: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning a Master's or a Ph.D. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1992.
- Robbins-Roth, Cynthia. Alternative Careers in Science: Leaving the Ivory Tower. Academic Press, 1998.
- Rosen, Stephen, and Paul, Celia, Career Renewal: Tools for Scientists and Technical Professionals, Academic Press, 1997.
MIT Connections
- MIT Department of Physics, http://web.mit.edu/physics/
- Society of Physics Students, http://web.mit.edu/sps/www/
- MIT Health Sciences and Technology, http://hst.mit.edu
- MIT Technology & Policy Student Society, http://web.mit.edu/tpss/
- Lab for Energy and the Environment http://lfee.mit.edu
Salary
- MIT Salary Survey, http://web.mit.edu/career/www/salary/
Next Steps
- Visit the Careers Office in 12-170 or call 253-4733 to schedule an appointment with a counselor in the School of Science to discuss career choices.
- Network with current students and alumni in your area of interest.
Last updated on Monday, September 18, 06 at 01:34:05 PM EDT.
