Also called: R&D Physicist, Product Development Physicist
Turns physics into products at companies making chips, medical devices, sensors, batteries, and aircraft.
You might figure out why a new sensor drifts in cold weather, invent a better way to measure a part, or help design a medical scanner. Applied physicists often act as problem-solvers who move between lab, factory floor, and engineering teams.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in physics or engineering physics; PhD for research-lead roles.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Engineering Physics, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). Growth figure is for physicists and astronomers combined.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI speeds design and data analysis; troubleshooting real hardware between lab and factory floor stays human.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus, Engineering design.
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.