Also called: Beam Physicist
Designs and tunes the machines that speed particles up to nearly the speed of light.
You figure out how to steer a beam of particles narrower than a hair through miles of magnets. Accelerators aren't just for discovery: they treat cancer, make chips, and sterilize food. There are far more accelerator jobs than people trained for them.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. PhD in physics; the US Particle Accelerator School offers specialized training.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Electrical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering.
Growing faster than average. Too few accelerator physicists are trained to fill openings at labs and in industry.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps tune beams, but more accelerator jobs exist than trained people, for science, medicine and chips.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, Electronics CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.