Initial Employment Report: Physics and Astronomy Degree Recipients of 2003 & 2004

by Patrick Mulvey and Casey Langer

Highlights

For the fourth straight year the percentage of physics PhD’s accepting postdocs has risen, and is now as high as this report series has ever recorded (Figure 16) . Foreign citizens accepted postdocs at a higher rate (77%) than US citizens (57%).
After three years of steady decline, the proportion of new physics bachelor’s entering directly into the job market has stabilized, at least temporarily, with the class of 2004 (Figure 2). Forty-one percent of the class of 2004 entered or tried to enter the job market directly, compared to a recent high of 52% in 2000.
Just over two-thirds of physics bachelor’s in the private sector found positions in science, technology, engineering or math (Figure 9).
What physics masters do directly after graduation varies greatly by citizenship. Foreign citizens are much more likely to pursue graduate study than their US counterparts (Figure 12).
Ninety-three percent of the physics master’s employed in the private sector are in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Math) related positions, with about 40% in the fields of physics or astronomy.
Only about a quarter of physics PhD’s who accepted potentially permanent positions were employed primarily in the field of physics or astronomy. Engineering was the largest field of employment, encompassing a little over a third.
Astronomy PhD’s tend to use more of their training in their post-degree employment than Physics PhD’s. A little over 90% hold positions that use their overall knowledge of basic astronomy principles, and almost three-quarters report that their position involves advanced astronomy principles.