Instead, graduates tend to move into applied fields, such as industrial research and development. Here, the skills learned in the major are more critical to their occupations than the course content. Students considering this direction are recommended to consider the Applied or General options in Physics when choosing courses. A highly laboratory-oriented physics curriculum would also serve this purpose. Graduates can also teach at the secondary school level, if the necessary education courses for certification are completed.
Further degrees are useful in expanding the possibilities of employment for physics majors.
Graduation with a master's degree increases the number of opportunities within industry, as well as allowing for teaching at the community college level. For many high-level industrial research positions, as well as for teaching at the university or college level, a Ph.D. is required. The following table is indicative of the types of positions that physics graduates take by degree. Some examples include a chemical engineer, a supervisor in charge of inspection techniques for nuclear power plants, a systems engineer in ship design, and a graduate student in oceanography. Several graduates have medical doctorates or are medical students.