Physics

Career Options in Physics

Upon graduating from Adrian College, our physics majors have an excellent track record of finding entry-level positions in engineering or related fields. The national average starting salary for new physics graduates employed in the private sector is $65,000. Research-oriented career options include positions at national laboratories, astronomical observatories, or in industry - many companies have research divisions that employ physicists.

Our physics programs provide a strong foundation for students who wish to pursue graduate degrees in physics, astrophysics, engineering, or other fields. Past students have successfully completed graduate degrees in a range of fields including physics, math, environmental engineering, space engineering, computational linguistics, and business. Our department offers a teaching minor in physics that prepares students for teacher certification in physics at the secondary level.

Beyond Physics at Adrian College

• 45% of our physics majors go on to earn graduate degrees
• 100% are employed full time 
• 92% have jobs in STEM fields
• 50% are employed as engineers

See What Our Alumni Have Done With Their Adrian College Degree!

Aerospace Engineering 

Stephanie (Boehringer) Schroder (B.S. in Physics; Math & Spanish minors, 2014)
Physics REU Program at Michigan State University, Summer 2013
M.Eng. in Space Engineering, University of Michigan
Systems Engineer Specialist - Payload Calibration at L3Harris Technologies

Randy Fry (B.S. in Physics, 2019)
B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Toledo
Systems Engineer at Lockheed Martin

Dale Sanford (B.S. in Physics; B.A. in Math, 2022)
M.S. in Space Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology
Engineering Analyst at BDI

Engineering Management

Gunnar Glodich (B.S. in Physics; Math minor, 2016)
M.S. in Engineering Management, Oakland University
Seat Belt Product Engineer at ZF Group

Maddie Sena (B.S. in Physics; B.A. in Math, 2017)
M.S. in Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Project Coordinator at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Computer Science 

Jamie Brandon (B.S. in Physics; B.A. in Math, 2017)
Modeling & Simulation in Systems Biology REU, University of Connecticut, 2016
M.S. in Computational Linguistics, Brandeis University
Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Dictionary.com

Tomas Hornicek (B.S. in Physics, 2021)
M.S. in Software Development and Programming, Boston University
Application Developer at Adastra

Alex Zaciewski (B.S. in Physics, 2019)
Application Engineer at Axiometrix Solutions

Chemical Engineering

 Frankie (Petrie) Frappier (B.S. in Physics, Chemistry; Math minor 2017)
Interdisciplinary Materials Research REU, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2016
M.S. in Chemical Engineering, University of Dayton
Scientist at Wacker Chemical Corporation

Environmental Engineering

Joe Mable (B.S. in Physics, 2017, Minor in Communication)
M.S. in Physics, Eastern Michigan University
Associate Engineer at First Solar