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After your Bachelors in Physics?

The American Institute of Physics regularly surveys physics bachelor degree recipients during the summer after they graduate. The numbers quoted below summarize their yearly findings from the 1980s through to the present with only small year-to-year fluctuations in the statistics. These trends represent the experience of our WVU graduates.

Of the more than 4000 Physics Bachelor degree recipients nationwide each year, 55% continue on to graduate school and 45% enter the job market. Well over 90% of the physics majors who enter graduate school are paid by their departments while pursuing an advanced degree. The students receive fellowships or are employed as research assistants or teaching assistants. Typical graduate student salaries range from $10,000 to $18,000 per year, and their tuition and fees are waived as well. In contrast, industry continues to be a dominant employer of new physics bachelors entering the workforce, and the average starting salary now exceeds $36,000 per year. Both large and small companies actively recruit physics majors because of their strong problem-solving abilities. Also, the computer and mathematical skills acquired by physics majors make them attractive to companies. Other employers of new physics bachelors are the federal government, state governments, the military, and high schools.