Physics Careers

Goshen College Alumni

Here are current positions held by some physics alumni:

Civil Engineer
Professor of Physics
Systems Engineer
High School Teacher
Hazardous Materials Specialist
Research Technologist
Systems Designer
Electrical Engineer
Assistant Band Director
Assistant Librarian
Biomechanist
Lab Technician
Design Engineer
Business Owner
Lecturer in Environmental Engineering
Director of Development
Research Technician in Neurobiology Lab
Web Developer
Victim Offender Reconciliation Program
Pharmaceutical Research
Chemical Engineer

Overview

From the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science:

Physics is all around us. It is in the electric light you turn on in the morning; the car you drive to work; your wristwatch, cell phone, CD player, radio, and that big plasma TV set you got for Christmas. It makes the stars shine every night and the sun shine every day, and it makes a baseball soar into the stands for a home run.

Physics is the science of matter, energy, space, and time. It explains ordinary matter as combinations of a dozen fundamental particles (quarks and leptons), interacting through four fundamental forces. It describes the many forms of energy—such as kinetic energy, electrical energy, and mass—and the way energy can change from one form to another. It describes a malleable space-time and the way objects move through space and time.

There are many fields of physics, for example: mechanics, electricity, heat, sound, light, condensed matter, atomic physics, nuclear physics, and elementary particle physics. Physics is the foundation of all the physical sciences—such as chemistry, material science, and geology—and is important for many other fields of human endeavor: biology, medicine, computing, ice hockey, television…the list goes on and on.

About the Coursework

The physics department at Goshen College prepares responsible physicists, engineers, and teachers for academic, research, and industrial positions. Student involvement in active research within the department fosters an understanding of the philosophical and structural concepts of physics as well as an ability to apply the science itself. The department consciously promotes an active participation in the wider scientific and engineering communities.

The major in physics offers two tracks: standard and biophysics. The department also offers a 3-2 pre-engineering program, where the student spends three years at GC and two and a half years at an engineering school, earning both a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science degree.

Possible courses include:

Thermodynamics
Analytical Mechanics
Electronics
Quantum Theory
Research Seminar
Classical Field Theory
Molecular Cell Biology
Statistical Mechanics

For a full list of requirements and courses, refer to the course catalog.

Certification for secondary education in physics or physical sciences is also available. See the education department for more information.

Possible Career Paths

Upon graduation, the physics major is prepared for graduate study in physics or engineering. Other possibilities include science secondary education or the combination of a physics baccalaureate degree with a master’s degree in business administration, as background for a management career in technology and engineering industries.

Study of physics also provides the training and experience for careers in biophysics, neurosciences, and many careers beyond the standard boundaries of science and engineering.

The list below provides several career options, but it is not exhaustive. Please note that some positions require additional education.

Acoustics Physicist
Aerodynamist
Applied Physicist
Astronomer
Astrophysicist
Biophysicist
Civil Engineer
Computational Scientist
Computer Programmer
Engineer
Forensic Scientist
Geophysical Surveyor
Government Policy Analyst
High School Teacher
Laboratory Director
Laboratory Technician
Laser Engineer
Lawyer, Technology Specialist
Medical Devices Designer
Medical Physicist
Nuclear Physicist
Photo Optic Technician
Physician
Physicist
Project Manager
Professor
Quality Control Engineer
Research Assistant
Research Scientist
Research & Development Engineer
Satellite Data Analyst
Software Engineer
Solid State Physicist
Systems Analyst
Technical Consultant
Technical Writer
Theoretical Physicist

Additional Resources

Physics.org from the Institute of Physics
Careers Using Physics from the Society of Physics Students
A New Universe to Explore: Careers in Astronomy from the American Astronomical Society
From the Occupational Outlook Handbook: