Are you interested in majoring in Physics? You’ve probably heard of famous physicists and astronomers like Albert Einstein and Vera Rubin, but did you know that Brian May (guitarist for Queen), Randall Munroe (xkcd comics), and Angela Merkel (former German Chancellor) all have degrees in physics? Physics trains you to be a problem solver: to look for the essential elements in a problem, to learn how to solve challenging problems, and to use many tools including mathematics and computational methods.
The University of Utah’s Physics major is flexible and exciting. Our base major requires 5 core physics courses + three electives that can allow you to explore the breadth of courses we offer including astrophysics, biophysics, and physics education research. Many of our students also get the chance to do research with faculty members who are leaders investigating a wide range of topics from the quantum scale to the fate of our Universe.
Our graduates’ problem solving skills prepare them for a wide range of careers. About 25% of our students go on to graduate school in Physics and Astronomy, while about a quarter of our other students go to graduate school in other fields including medical school, law school, and engineering degrees. Physics majors score higher than almost all other majors on LSAT and MCAT exams. The other half of our students step directly into the workforce, with a wide range of careers including finance, engineering, and computing. For physics majors who go into STEM jobs in the private sector, the median starting salary is $70,000; this is higher than many other majors, including business and finance (source: AIP statistics).
