Also called: Physicist, Physical Scientist
Asks how the universe works at its most basic level and designs experiments or theories to find out.
Most research physicists work at universities, national labs like Fermilab or Los Alamos, or companies like Google and Lockheed. A day might mix running an experiment, writing code to analyze data, mentoring students, and writing a paper or grant. About a third of physics PhDs end up in industry.
BLS median for physicists (May 2025); government and industry often pay more than universities.
Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. Bachelor's in physics, then a PhD (5-6 years, normally tuition-free with a stipend). Some government and industry jobs take a bachelor's or master's.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Physics, Applied Physics, Engineering Physics, Mathematics.
Growing faster than average (about 7% over 10 years). Growth figure is for physicists and astronomers combined.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI writes analysis code and suggests models; building experiments, spotting what's strange and setting research goals stay human.
Classes: AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science.
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.