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Physics & Astronomy

Industry Areas

Here are examples of industry areas students enter with this major, jobs/internships, typical employers that hire students, skills employers look for, and examples of where alumni work.  To find more information make an appointment with your career counselor/advisor.

Industry Areas for Physics and Astronomy
Industry|Employers
Job|Roles
Skills
Alumni

Acoustical Physics

Colleges and Universities
Government:
Department of Defense
Naval Research Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Industry:
Medical instrumentation
Bioacoustics
Transportation
Electronics
Architecture,
Engineering
Communication
Musical
Nonprofit research centers

 Development
Testing
Consulting
Education		 organizational
analytical thinking/problem solving
communication
teamwork
knowledge in math, science and engineering principles		 Premium Audio Test and Measurement Engineer

Astronomy/Astrophysics

Colleges and universities
Government:
Department of Defense
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
Naval Observatory
Naval Research Laboratory
Industry:
Aerospace
Scientific supply
Computer software
Remote sensing
Communications
Observatories
Planetariums
Science museums
Nonprofit foundations

 Research
Consulting
Writing
Public Relations
Education		 organizational
analytical thinking/problem solving
communication
teamwork
knowledge in math, science and engineering principles		 SpaceX, Hardware Developer
United Launch Alliance, Systems Engineer
Space Physics Research Lab, Research Associate
Satellite Assessment Center, Principal Research Physicist
Space Systems Engineer at Michigan Exploration Laboratory (MXL)
Qualis Corporation, Astronomer-Meteroid

Chemical Physics

Colleges and universities
Government:
Department of Energy
National Institute of Standards and Technology
National Institutes of Health
Industry:
Biotechnology
Chemical
Electronics
Petroleum
Pharmaceutical

 Research
Development
Consulting		 organizational
analytical thinking/problem solving
communication
teamwork
knowledge in math, science and engineering principles		 The Dow Chemical Company, Associate Scientist

National Laboratories

Department of Defense
Naval Research Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

 Research
Instrumentation
Operations and Maintenance
Writing
Development
Testing		 Flexibility
Cross functional teamwork
Analytical ability
Communication skills
Time and project management		 Energy Systems Engineer at Argonne National Laboratory

Planetariums

Observatories
Planetariums
Science museums
Nonprofit foundations

 Research
Consulting
Writing
Public Relations
Education		 strong interpersonal skills
attention to detail
ability to multitask
organizational skills
time management
verbal and written communication
ability to work collaboratively in a team environment		 Facilitator at Adler Planetarium
Carnegie Observatories, NSF fellow

Information Technology

Software/hardware manufacturers
Systems developers
Technical service providers
Retail stores
Education institutions

 Customer/Product
Support
Sales Marketing
Technical Writing		 organizational
analytical thinking/problem solving
communication
teamwork
knowledge in math, science and engineering principles		 Epic Systems Corporation, Technical Services
Department of Information Technology, Data Systems Analyst

Popular Industries (According to LinkedIn)

  • Research (25%)
  • Engineering (17%)
  • Education (15%)
  • Information Technology (8%)

Professional Associations