Why study physics & engineering?

Physics studies space, time, and matter – the material universe and everything in it. At Presbyterian College, we approach our study of the universe and our place in it from a Christian liberal arts perspective. When God said “Let there be lights”, we understand something of the role of the Creator in governing the cosmos, and our place in it. Through physics, we have come to appreciate how the sun and the moon work by means of fusion and gravitation, but we also understand them as two great lights given for signs and for seasons. Both the physical world and our ability to know it are gifts which we accept with gratitude, humility, responsibility, and love.

What can you do with a physics degree?

At Presbyterian College, about half of our graduates have gone on to graduate programs in physics or engineering (the national average is about 1 in 7), and half have obtained employment in various public and private sector jobs in various fields.

Physicists are in high demand and enjoy good job security; nationally, 96% of all physics majors who seek employment after graduation obtain it. In their employment about 70% of physics majors work in fields that require explicit physics knowledge, and nearly 100% utilize the peripheral skills—computer use, logical and mathematical reasoning, problem-solving, technical writing, team and interdisciplinary work—that are an integral part of a physics major and of a liberal arts education.

Most physicists work as “hidden physicists,” meaning their job title does not include the word “physics.” Physicists have found work in education (teaching at the middle school, high school, or college level), public or private research (as a research assistant or lab tech), computer hardware or software (programmer, web developer, IT consultant, or systems analyst), engineering (electrical, industrial, nuclear, aerospace or mechanical engineer, product manager, or technician), and more. Physics majors score extremely high on the entrance exams for law school, architecture school, and medical school. Thus physics provides one of the best undergraduate majors that open up opportunities for a successful career in finance, medicine, the military, architecture, law, philosophy, and more.