Career Information

A degree helps prepare you to do almost anything. An incredible range of careers benefit from the quantitative and analytical skills – the problem solving skills of physics, and from an understanding of the fundamentals behind science and technology that a physics degree provides.

What have Cornell graduates done?  A partial list:

  • Graduate school – physics, applied physics, biophysics, astronomy, engineering, biochemistry, education, geophysics, oceanography, atmospheric and environmental science, economics
  • Professional school – medicine, law, business
  • High school physics teaching – at private and public schools, including via Teach for America
  • College and university teaching – at community colleges, liberal arts colleges, state universities, and major research universities
  • Industrial research and development – energy, transportation, telecommunications, nanotechnology, biotechnology, medical devices, space and satellites, defense
  • Government and academic research – at national laboratories and universities
  • Hospitals and health care – as doctors, MD/Ph.D.s, medical physicists for MRI, X-ray, ultrasound imaging and nuclear medicine
  • Military or national / international service
  • Government policy and private think-tanks
  • Management and management consulting – e.g., at McKinsey
  • Finance – many Cornell physics graduates work on Wall Street
  • Software and IT – e.g., at Microsoft and Google
  • Science writing / journalism – Cornell physics graduates write for Science and  Today
  • Technical Sales, marketing and customer support

Click here for more information on career outcomes for Cornell physics majors.

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