After the studies - career and research

What does a physicist do?

As a physicist, you have the opportunity to work in areas such as information technology, biotechnology, medical diagnostics, environmental and energy technology, materials technology and electronics. You will be qualified to work in all industries that work with high-tech research and development. Your ability to solve problems and build models, refine measurement methods and make calculations is especially valued.

After your education, you can work in both business and the public sector. Many physicists work with research, education or information within the university or high-tech companies, research laboratories and authorities. As a physicist you can also work within technology development. 

Physicists are demanded and in a survey from 2018, 86% of students who studied the physics program at the University of Gothenburg stated they got a job within less than 3 months after graduation. 

 86% of graduates stated they got a job within less than 3 months after graduation

Career as a researcher in physics

Many physics students remain at the university after completing their undergraduate and postgraduate studies and become doctoral students.

- This means that you work together with a research group to reach new knowledge in physics, explains Dag Hanstorp, professor at the department.

If you are accepted as a doctoral student, it means that you are guaranteed a five-year employment in the form of a doctoral program that will lead to a doctoral dissertation.

- Every fourth student at our department goes on to become a doctoral student, he says.

Examples of professional titles for a physicist

• Process developer
• Product developer
• Systems engineer
• Measurement engineer
• Analyst
• Materials technician
• Patent engineer
• Quality manager
• Radio physicist
• IT engineer
• Development engineer
• Researcher

Read more about study physics in Gothenburg