Planning and Preparing: Fall 2010

Welcome to the Department of Physics!  We want to help you make the most out of your experience here at Wabash.  One way to do that is to have a clear idea about where you want to go and what you want to do with your career.  Granted, these things may change as you learn and grow, but it is really important that you get on a good path at the very beginning.  The purpose of this paper is to help you see a number of different possible careers and decide what you want to do.  You will need to do more research on the specific details for each of the career paths, but we will help you get started.  Besides the resources discussed below, a number of useful links can be found at the Physics Department website under Resources:

https://www.wabash.edu/academics/physics/resources

Physics Career Tracks and Possibilitities

Graduate school in Physics

Physics graduate school now is typically a direct-to-PhD program.  You begin the program with two years of physics course work (more classes!) that cover the same material as your undergraduate degree, but in greater depth.  You will then typically transition into some research group, either theory or experiment, and work with your research advisor for 3-5 years.  Most programs will have some kinds of qualifying exam or process before you can officially become a doctoral candidate.  This might include a preliminary paper and presentation at which time you will select your graduate committee—a  group of faculty that will oversee your research progress.  At the end of the research period, you will write up your work in a dissertation (a long, detailed paper), present your dissertation to your committee and then defend it in an oral presentation and exam.  When all the requirements are fulfilled, you will have a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in physics.

Requirements

Typically graduate school in physics requires a bachelor’s degree in physics.  If you are interested in this path, you should take as many physics courses as you can (maximum of 11 count towards graduation).  This typically includes the introductory sequence (111, 112, 209, 210), plus all the upper-level theory classes  (310, 314, 315), the advanced lab (381, 382), thermal physics (230) and as many electives as possible (220, 277, 378, etc).  You will need to take the general GRE, and most places will ask you to take the physics subject GRE as well.  You should have a GPA of 3.2 or better to consider graduate school.  Additionally, you should take as much math as you can.  Consult with the physics and math faculty to find the courses beyond the required 5 that will help you most in what you want to do.

Timeline

Applications are usually due in mid –December for foreign students and mid-January for US students.  The schools start making decisions in late January and then go through a multiple-round decision process.  The schools need to fill their incoming class, but most students have applied for and get accepted to many schools.  So the schools give out a “first round” of acceptance letters and invitations to visit the campus.  If you get an invitation, they will usually pay for your travel and visit to the campus.  If you accept, things are done.  If you reject them, they will then make a “second round” of acceptance letters and invitations.  This continues until they have filled their incoming class.  So if you do not get any acceptance letters right away, don’t despair since they may come after a couple of weeks, as the process continues.

Applications

Most applications require your transcripts, letters of recommendation from three people (typically faculty and/or internship supervisors), an essay, an application (usually an on-line applications), and a payment (around $50 per school).

General GRE

You will need to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), a computer based general test covering math and language skills.  The nearest testing center is in Lafayette.  See the web page for information about applying for and taking the test:

http://www.ets.org/gre

The test is administered most days of the week (including Saturdays).  However, you should plan on scheduling your test date several months in advance in order to get a slot that works for your schedule.  Give yourself enough time to study and practice before you take the test—practice really helps!

In order to get your scores to graduate schools, you should plan on taking the test early enough so that your scores can get to the graduate schools by the application due date—usually at the start of the year.  This typically means taking the test no later than mid-October of your senior year.

We recommend that you get a couple of GRE-prep books to help you study for the exam.  You may also ask around to see if classmates are also studying for the exam and study jointly.

Physics GRE

Many physics graduate schools also require that you take a paper-based physics test called the Physics GRE.  This test covers general physics materials and problem solving.

You apply for the exam on the GRE web site: http://www.ets.org/gre.  If you are interested in going on to physics graduate school you should consider taking the exam in April of your junior year.  That will give you the opportunity to practice the exam in a lower-stress situation.  You should take the exam at the earlier September date if you are a foreign student in order to get your scores to schools by the application deadline. 

Because the Physics GRE is a particular type of test which is very different from what you typically find at Wabash, it is extremely important to study and practice prior to taking the exam.  Old exams and other materials can be found on the Physics Journal Club Moodle site.  If there is interest, we can set up a couple of group study sessions with faculty prior to the exam dates.  Please talk to one of us in order to arrange these study sessions.

Career paths

Physics PhDs typically follow a couple of career paths.

1. Path to becoming a researcher at a large university: after the PhD, you will typically apply for one or two post-doctoral (post-doc) research positions where you will work like crazy to publish high-quality research in top journals.  You will work with the research group leader (principal investigator or PI) in writing grants and deciding the direction of research for the group.  After that, you apply for another post-doc, or a faculty position at a large university and build your own research group.  You will then typically be a leader of your own research, have several graduate students, maybe a post-doc, write grants, write papers, and maybe teach one class a semester.  The emphasis is typically on doing high-quality research and getting grants to fund that.  Starting tenure-track salary at a major university: $75,000; for post-docs, $40,000.
2. Path to becoming a teacher at a small college: You may decide to do a post-doc after finishing your PhD, though whether this is required for a small college job depends on the school.   It is often difficult to get a tenure-track position at a good small college out of graduate school.  It is common to fill visiting teaching positions for several years before landing the tenure-track job. In any case, you will put together a teaching statement and a research statement and apply for jobs.  A position at this kind of school has a heavier teaching load (between 2-4 classes a semester) and may have some research requirement where the work is accessible to undergraduates.  You may need to write grants to fund your research, but the emphasis is typically on high-quality teaching.  Median starting tenure-track salary: $53,000 with significant range.
3. Path to becoming a researcher at a national lab: PhD to post-doc to national lab position
4. Path to a private Research and Development (R&D) position: PhD to job experience to R&D position
5. Other Physics PhD career paths: Government (grant officers, science advisors), consultants, financial sector

Costs

The tuition for graduate school in physics is typically paid for by the physics department or research group in the department.  There are typically some other administrative fees on the order of $200-$500 and health insurance that must be paid by the graduate student.  Most universities pay the student a living stipend of around $18,000 per year (give or take a bit).  This stipend is intended to cover the cost of living (food, rent, etc).  Though not a huge amount, the stipend usually covers costs for a frugal lifestyle (typically living with roommates in a simple apartment).  Payment of your student loans from your undergraduate time usually can be deferred until after you finish graduate school, though you will need to make this arrangement with your load provider.

Graduate school in Engineering

Requirements

The admission requirements for graduate school in engineering depend on where you want to go and what you want to do.  There are a couple of different tracks in engineering: you could pursue a Masters (MS) or a PhD program. Engineering masters come in two flavors: thesis and non-thesis.  If you do the non-thesis work, it is typically two more years of advanced coursework.  The thesis option usually includes a third year of research leading to a short thesis.  You should look at the specific requirements for the program you are interested in.  Many engineering graduate programs have an option for people with a physics Bachelor’s degree.  You typically will have to take a few undergraduate courses to get caught up in the specific disciplinary area.  You should consider taking as much physics and math as you can with an eye on the type of engineering you want to do.

Timeline

Applications are due early January.  You will need to take the general GRE for most programs.

Applications

Most applications require your transcripts, letters of recommendation from three people (typically faculty and/or internship supervisors), an essay, an application (usually an on-line applications), and a payment (around $50 per school).

Career paths

An engineering master’s degree will qualify you for advanced research and design (R&D) work in industry.  You would typically apply for an R&D job that would get you working in a group on specific projects called for by the company. 

An engineering PhD typically follows one of two paths: academia or industry.  A PhD qualifies you to teach at engineering schools.  The PhD work consists of a significant amount of research and you would be continuing that by developing your own research group.  The engineering faculty position is not that different from the physics faculty position except that it typically only exists at large universities.

An engineering PhD that goes into industry will typically work in the R&D department.  Since the PhD program involves research, you would be on track to lead a research group in the company, developing new products and tools.  This career path typically includes 3-5 years of work experience before landing the leadership job, akin to the physics post-doc experience.

Costs

The cost of engineering grad school really depends on where you go and what you want to do.   The funding available is usually less than for physics graduate school.  Typically the PhD engineering programs are funded by the schools—you are in a similar program to the physics PhD doing research work funded by grants.  The Master’s program can be a bit different since you will mainly be taking classes from the school.  There are often teaching assistantships that can be applied for that will help fund some of the cost of tuition, though this depends on the school.  Look carefully at your program and school of choice to see what funding opportunities are available.

Dual Degree Engineering

Details about the College’s dual-degree engineering program can be found at:

                https://www.wabash.edu/academics/physics/engineering

There are detailed instructions on that page describing what courses you should take and when, what programs are available, and how to apply for them.  You should contact Dr. Westphal, chair of the Pre-Engineering Committee, as soon as possible to make sure you know the requirements and timelines for your program of interest.          

Applications for the 3-2 program are typically due during the fall semester of your junior year.  You should contact Dr. Westphal at the start of your junior year to get this process started.

Other career paths:

Medical school

There are a small number of people that want to go into the medical profession that major in physics as undergraduates.  These people tend to do very well both in their physics program as well as in medical school.  You might consider this path if you are interested in medical imaging or working on medical devices.  Both of these fields are connected directly with physics and the crossover between them is natural.  You will need to talk to the Pre-Med advisor to make sure you have taken all the required chemistry and biology courses (typically two years of each).  You will need to take the MCAT (typically in the spring of your Junior year) and apply to schools the following fall.  Medical school is typically paid for by the student (there are a few exceptions in PhD/MD research-based programs).  See the college’s Pre-Health page for more information:

https://www.wabash.edu/academics/medicine/

Law school

There are a small number of people that want to go to law school that major in physics as undergraduates.  The most common career path for these people is to go into patent law.  The physics (or other science) background is required to go into patent law and will give you a good set of skills to analyze complex devices.  You should consult with the Pre-Law advisor to make sure you take the recommended classes prior to law school.  You will need to take the LSAT and apply to law school.  Law school is typically paid for by the student.  See the Career Center web page for more information.

https://www.wabash.edu/academics/bulletin.cfm?this_year=2010&site_code_id=980

Teaching

If you are interested in becoming a K-12 teacher, you should look at the teacher education program on campus.

https://www.wabash.edu/academics/teacher_education/

The program begins in your junior year; you apply in the spring semester of your sophomore year.  If you are interested in this program you should stop by the Teacher Education department and talk with the faculty there about your interests.   It is important to note that Teach for American and most private schools don’t require licensure.

Career center

The College’s Career Services center can help you get ready for applying for jobs.  They run a number of career fairs and job application workshops.  See their web page for more information:

https://www.wabash.edu/careers/

If you want to look for a job after graduation, you should begin the process at the start of the fall semester of your senior year.  You should begin look for jobs and applying at that point.  You will typically have interviews during your spring semester and, if all goes well, land a job before you graduate.

Types of jobs

Over the last 20 years our physics majors have gone on to jobs in computer science, law, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and financial companies.  We can connect you with physics alumni in a wide variety of careers.

Summer Internships

There are many opportunities to work in science and engineering during the summer months.  These opportunities will give you experience working in a physics research lab or an engineering company.  Many graduate schools and employers are looking for students that have had these summer internship experiences.  Most summer internships in physics are paid experiences- you will receive a modest stipend for your work.  There are a couple of different places to look for physics internships.

Wabash Internships

The college physics faculty typically has support to hire 3-4 physics students to work with us for an 8-week summer internship.  We usually advertise positions in January for the following summer.  If you are interested in working with us, contact us early in the year about summer research and we can help you apply and find a project that will be suited for your skills and interests.  However, since there are a limited number of slots available, we highly recommend that you also apply to off-campus internships.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) funds a large number and variety of summer research experiences for undergraduates.  Unfortunately most of these are for US citizens only.  However, motivated international students can still find summer internships, they just need to be a bit more creative about it.   Many schools with REU programs have alternative sources of funding for good non-citizens.  Talk to the physics faculty if you are interested.  These REU programs are hosted by a large number of schools that do a variety of research.  You begin by searching for an REU program in an area of research that interests you:

http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/

REU programs are very competitive, so you should begin thinking now about what you would like to do and how you are going to get there.  Good REU applications have a couple of key components:

1. Good grades in physics.  Schools want people that have shown that they understand the physics.  Because most REU programs involve research areas that are beyond what is typically covered in an undergraduate curriculum, you will need to get up to speed on the research project’s key ideas as soon as you start your internship.  They typically give REU students a smaller sub-project to work on for their 8 weeks, but it will almost always include reading papers to get up to speed.
2. Good recommendations.  There are a number of ways to go about getting a good faculty recommendation.  First of all, look for recommendations from your lab professors.  It helps to set these up during the course of the semester by showing your interest in the work in the lab.  Faculty can see the difference between students that do the minimum work required to finish the lab and students that are engaged in the project, look for new angles, and go beyond the lab instructions exploring the physics of the experiment.  Show that you are passionate about doing physics research.  Second, look for recommendations from ESH supervisors.  REU programs are looking for hard, responsible workers.  If you have an ESH job in the Physics Department, even better.  Do your job well, show up on time, get your work done- in other words: show that you are a hard, responsible worker.  Finally, you can ask a professor from one of your classes to write a letter of recommendation.  This works if you have worked hard in their class and done well.  Show that you care about doing physics.  You should personally ask faculty if they will write letters of recommendation for you.

Application dates/times

REU applications are typically due mid-January to mid-February.  You should begin looking for interesting REU programs over Thanksgiving break.  Use your free time over the winter break to assemble the applications and get everything ready.  Get your letters of recommendation lined up before winter break- that gives faculty a bit more time to write the letters.  Make sure you know each REU deadline and get your materials in prior to the deadline.  Successful students typically apply to 8-10 programs and get accepted to 1.

Wabash College Dill Fund

Another option for summer internship funding is the Wabash College Dill Fund.  The following materials are available on the college’s web page:

Dill Fund: Proposals, arising from interests stimulated by a student's course work and Wabash experiences, should expand or deepen an area of study in a way not available through Wabash's traditional programs. Projects should be entirely student-generated, although students are encouraged to consult with faculty or staff as they plan their projects and prepare their proposals. A Dill Committee considers proposals. Proposal information is available in the Registrar's Office. All opportunities presented must be unpaid.  These opportunities are student initiated, and are not posted in WabashWorks. For more information go to Dill Fund. Students must plan to return to the college at the end of the project.  Dill Fund Application

Contact: Julie Olsen
Opportunities: Approximately 15
Stipend: varying amounts up to $2,848, taxable
Deadline: February 2011
Open to: Freshmen through Juniors

Other Internship Opportunities

There are a number of other internship opportunities for physics majors.  A few of these are listed here, but you can talk to a faculty member for more ideas.

1. Department of Defense Centralized Intern Program

http://www.go-defense.com/internships.html  

1. Department of Energy Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships

http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/scied/erulf/about.html  

1. Society of Physics Students Internships for scientific research, outreach and policy

http://www.spsnational.org/programs/internships/  

1. American Association for the Advancement of Science Internships

http://www.aaas.org/careercenter/internships/  

Off-Campus Study

The Oak Ridge Science Semester is a great opportunity to do research off campus.  This program involves working at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), located outside of Knoxville, TN.  You will spend about 16 weeks working with a researcher in the lab, taking classes, and learning more about their work.  You can get Wabash credit for the classes you take, though you should look carefully at their options.

Applications for off-campus study are due in the fall of your sophomore year and you would typically spend the fall semester of your junior year in Oak Ridge.  See the Off-Campus Studies web page for more information:

                https://www.wabash.edu/international/welcome

Society of Physics Students