Why are there so many doors open to physics majors?

Students who go earn a degree at an undergraduate physics program will acquire skills in a wide variety of areas. A school like North Central College offers opportunities for research, mentoring and connections for academic experiences and internships at national laboratories like Argonne National Laboratory and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab).  

What’s it like to study physics and work with a professor?

In this interview with Paul Bloom, associate professor of physics at North Central, you’ll learn more about what to expect as you study physics and how that prepares you for your future career.

• Why is math so important to physics? “Math is the language of nature. It is how we speak precisely and quantitatively about the behavior of physical systems. North Central College physics majors are required to take five semesters of mathematics starting with calculus. At that point, they are only a couple of credits short of a math minor. Therefore physics majors have enough math background to immediately work in fields like big data and finance. Historically, many physics majors also double major in applied mathematics.”
• How is computer science related to physics? “Most real-world problems in physics are far too complex to solve with pencil and paper. The equations also can't be solved in ‘closed-form,’ which means that we have to use computers to solve them numerically. We also make heavy use of computation to process large data sets and learn how to visualize physical systems. For example, the North Central College physics major requires students to take at least one semester of computer science using the Python programming language (industry standard).  We are integrating computational methods and problem-solving at all levels of our curriculum.  Computational skills go hand-in-hand with analytical skills and that pairing is highly valued in all areas of industry, finance and other areas that seek information from data collection.”
• What is electronic instrumentation? “Unlike other areas in science, the measurements we make in physics quite often require the creation of novel instrumentation. You don't just go to an online catalog to buy a particle detector or a research-grade telescope. To build new instrumentation requires electronics and then those electronics need to be interfaced to a computer (see below) to acquire the data.  North Central College majors take a semester in practical electronics in which they develop the basic skills to understand and build digital and analog electronic circuits and to design new circuits. (However, a physicist is never a good substitute for an experienced electrical engineer!) This is a skill that is valuable throughout the industry.”
• Explain LabVIEW programming.“Once you build an apparatus, its output is likely to be some kind of electronic signal that needs to be acquired by a computer for it to be of any use.  We require our majors to take a course in LabVIEW programming, which is an industry standard application that allows computers to control an apparatus and acquire data from that apparatus. This skill is so valuable that students get industry jobs solely because they have experience with LabVIEW.”
• Why are communication skills so important? “No matter how important the science, you must be able to effectively communicate your findings. Our students develop skills in oral and written communication of their findings through lab reports and in-class presentations. These skills are highly valued throughout the professional world, including business, industry, academia.”
• How do students build their research experience? “You don't really learn science until you do science. That is why we work diligently to give all of our students the opportunity to engage in the doing of physics research–– either by working with physics faculty in our own research, or by placing students into external research opportunities such as those provided by National Science Foundation opportunities called REUs (Research Experiences for Undergraduates). These run every summer at universities around the country. Other opportunities are available through the U.S. Department of Energy internship program called SULI (Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship), available at facilities around the country–including Argonne and Fermilab, both located near our Naperville, Ill., location.
  "One of our recent graduates spent a summer conducting research at CERN, the European Center for Nuclear Research in Switzerland! In research, students put what they have learned to work. They also learn how to deal with doing science in real-world situations, not the artificial and contrived environment of the classroom or educational laboratory. They get an opportunity to network with scientists, which can turn into job opportunities. Most importantly, they have the opportunity to fail, and learn from that failure. That's a real part of science that is hard to teach in a classroom, but is a vital skill for anyone who is going to be successful in anything they do.”

Finally, if you’ve decided to pursue physics in college, determine if the institution you’re attending can prepare you for your career. Visit the physics department of different schools and learn more about each physics degree program and what it offers you.

Here’s what you should learn when you study physics in college. You should be able to:

• Design and perform experiments using lock-in amplifiers, multichannel analyzers and Fourier spectral analyzers—all available for research at North Central College.   
• Apply the laws of physics to solve problems in areas ranging from renewable energy to medical instrumentation to nanotechnology.  
• Identify which tools to use and paths to take when finding solutions to problems
• Formulate and apply explicit approximations when solving problems
• Understand and interpret complicated scientific literature.
• Plan, execute, analyze and effectively report the results of an periment
• Critically review the results of an experiment
• Produce clear and accurate scientific reports
• Evaluate the level of uncertainty in experiment results and compare them with expected outcomes
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the fundamental laws of physics and apply them in diverse areas
• Understand mathematical modeling and of the role of approximation

With a physics degree, doors will open to you throughout the professional world. If you like math and science, this is the degree for you!

Laura Zahn Pohl is an editorial director in higher education with more than 17 years of experience as a content writer, publications editor and speechwriter. An honors graduate of the University of Iowa School of Journalism, her experience includes corporate communications and freelance reporting for the Chicago Tribune, Daily Herald and Kalamazoo Gazette.