After four years of site visits, analysis, and product development, the AIP Career Pathways Project (CPP), which was supported by the National Science Foundation, is drawing to a close. This project has led to a number of new insights that may have a significant impact on the recruitment, retention, and career preparation of undergraduate physics students.
CPP was designed to identify common features among physics departments with a strong record of preparing physics bachelor’s for the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) workforce and to disseminate that information to the physics community. By equipping physics departments and their students with tools for effective career preparation, the project aims to increase the overall number and diversity of physics graduates, and of those joining the STEM workforce after the bachelor’s degree. The PIs included members of the Education Division and the Statistical Research Center, who were supported by three Society of Physics Students summer interns and a number of volunteers.
Through site visits to eight diverse physics departments with a record of success in preparing undergraduate students for the STEM workforce, we distilled ten common features. Several of these features are very similar to features identified by Project SPIN-UP, Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Physics (2002), as common among thriving physics departments. These are noted with an [S] in the list below. This overlap suggests that some of the features that help undergraduate physics departments thrive in terms of increasing bachelor’s degree production also help them succeed when it comes to preparing students to enter the STEM workforce.
Curricular features
- Varied and high-quality lab courses
- Research opportunities for undergraduates [S]
- Curricular flexibility [S]
- Building communication skills as part of the undergraduate physics experience
Extracurricular features
- Faculty and staff commitment to physics majors’ success at all levels, regardless of career goals
- Strong community of students within the physics department [S]
- Opportunities for physics majors to be involved in outreach activities
- Mentoring and advising physics majors in accordance with their interests and goals [S]
- Connections with alumni [S]
- Active relationship with the career services office
These findings influenced the creation of three CPP products geared toward different audiences:
Equipping Physics Majors for the STEM Workforce
This report for physics faculty and administrators describes the project findings in detail and, for each finding, suggests specific activities that faculty members can initiate or expand in their departments. This report concludes with a brief discussion about several ways to develop strategies for change.
Careers Toolbox for Undergraduate Physics Students
The Careers Toolbox is a set of tools and exercises designed to help undergraduate physics students prepare to enter the STEM workforce. The range of tools includes self-assessment of knowledge and skills, composing a resume, and preparing for interviews. All are geared specifically for physics students.
Fact Sheet for Career Services Professionals
This guide is designed to enhance the work being done by career services professionals with physics undergraduates and faculty. The Fact Sheet includes information on the common career paths of physics bachelor’s recipients, job titles commonly held by physics bachelor’s, resume and career-advising tips, suggested databases for finding physics-related internships and jobs, and more. The Fact Sheet may also be useful for high school guidance counselors and college admissions staff.
The findings and products have been disseminated through workshops at various Society of Physics Students regional meetings and American Association of Physics Teachers meetings, as well as through workshops hosted by the Council on Undergraduate Research, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the National Society of Black Physicists. They have also been presented to various groups including the Joint Task Force on Undergraduate Physics Programs and attendees of the 2014 Physics Department Chairs Conference.
We have known for a long time that physics bachelor’s degree recipients go into a wide variety of careers and they tend to be successful and well compensated. This work is an important step forward in understanding the ways in which physics departments can better equip their students for these opportunities. This has benefit not only for students who want or need to go to work after earning their degrees, but also for departments interested in recruiting new majors and retaining those that start in their programs.