How hard is it to become a physicist?

It is very hard to become a physicist. The amount of work and time it takes to become a physicist is strenuous. The minimum education required to become a physicist is a bachelor's degree, and that will take four years to complete. If you proceed to obtain your Ph.D., that will take an additional four to five years.

What companies hire physicists?

Companies in the technology, research and development, and energy sectors hire physicists. These companies recognize the value of physicists' expertise in understanding the laws of nature, conducting research, and applying scientific principles to various fields. Top companies that hire physicists include:

What degree do you need to be an astrophysicist?

You need a master's degree in astrophysics to be an astrophysicist. While this is the absolute minimum degree you must obtain, most astrophysicists have doctorate degrees in astrophysics.

How To Become A Physicist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a physicist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Nicholas Mauro

Physicists are scientists researching the mysteries of energy and matter. They conduct experiments to challenge existing theories and arrive at new conclusions through their investigations.

As a physicist, you will probe the wonders of the universe by simulating and observing physical phenomena, analyzing research results, and creating reports on your discoveries. You might develop models to illustrate your findings using computer design and publish your processes and results in articles featured in academic papers.

Your job is to develop new theories and define laws based on the outcome of your experiments. Various industries will use your results to improve their products, such as nuclear energy plants, aerospace technology developments, optics, and many more.

What general advice would you give to a physicist?

Nicholas Mauro

Assistant Professor of Physics, Saint Norbert College

My advice to someone beginning their career is that although we have a challenging time in front of us, they should be feeling optimistic about their future. I know this seems impossible when we are struggling, as a nation, to contain the pandemic and craft a strategy to combat the short- and long-term effects. However, this is what I would say to a recent physics graduate: American success has always depended on, and benefited from, physical science talent. Physics students have historically been among the most employable graduates. The extensive preparation in a physics program enables our students to pursue interests in a wide variety of industries and find success. We shouldn't sugar coat it, early-career physicists have experienced very real and acute disruptions and face a degree of long-lasting uncertainty. The real challenges we present to our students make them highly adaptable and help them be competitive in the job marketplace.

ScorePhysicistUS Average

Salary

7.9

Avg. Salary $110,869

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.5

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 13.17%

Black or African American 1.95%

Hispanic or Latino 7.43%

Unknown 3.36%

White 73.40%

Gender

female 16.06%

male 83.94%

Age - 47.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47.5

Stress level

4.5

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a physicist

Explore physicist education requirements

Most common physicist degrees

Bachelor's

53.3 %

Master's

25.5 %

Doctorate

17.5 %

Start to develop specific physicist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	14.16%
Radiology	9.32%
Oncology	8.78%
Radiation Safety	5.98%
Radiation Therapy	5.85%

Complete relevant physicist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New physicists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a physicist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real physicist resumes.

Research physicist duties and responsibilities

Analyze large data sets using Matlab and compare the simulation results with the empirical data.
Plan HDR, prostate seed, and IMRT treatments.
Assist in commissioning of a Varian TrueBeam LINAC.
Work with Tomotherapy HiArt, Varian 21EX and 21IX, and TrueBeam linear accelerators.

Prepare your physicist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your physicist resume.

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Build a professional physicist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your physicist resume.