Sciences
What can you do with a Physics degree?
Quick answer
A Physics degree commonly leads to roles such as graduate physicist, data analyst and laboratory technician. Five years after graduating, Physics graduates had median earnings of £43,900 (middle half: £34,000–£58,600), and 89.7% were in sustained work or further study (DfE LEO, 2023–24 tax year). The largest employer sector for Physics and astronomy graduates is information and communication (21.2% of those in work).
Physics trains mathematical modelling, measurement, and experiment. Graduates move into technical, data, and engineering-adjacent roles. Official figures appear when an extract is loaded.
- Median pay after 1 year
- £30,000
- Median pay after 5 years
- £43,900
- In work or study after 5 years
- 89.7%
- Earnings rank at 5 years
- 17 of 146 subjects
- Top employer sector
- Information and communication
- Graduates in latest cohort
- 2,675
On this page
What jobs can you get with a Physics degree?
Graduates commonly start as graduate physicist, data analyst, laboratory technician or calibration engineer (entry). Physics also builds skills that employers outside the obvious routes ask for, so many graduates move into roles that do not name the subject at all.
Graduate physicist
Supports an experimental or modelling team with analysis, calibration, and reports.
Skills these adverts often ask for
- modelling
- measurement
- technical writing
Data analyst
Skills these adverts often ask for
- Python or similar
- uncertainty
- visualisation
Laboratory technician
Skills these adverts often ask for
- instruments
- health and safety
- logs
Calibration engineer (entry)
Skills these adverts often ask for
- standards
- traceability
- certificates
Role examples and skills are CourseToJob editorial guidance, not a guarantee of a job. Pay for individual roles varies by employer and location; we do not attach a salary to a role unless an official source publishes one.
Where do Physics graduates work?
Five years after graduating, the largest employer sectors for Physics and astronomy graduates in UK employment were information and communication (21.2%), professional, scientific and technical services (20.5%) and education (11.6%). One year after graduating, the most common sector was professional, scientific and technical services (24.6%).
| Industry sector | Share of graduates in work | Median earnings in that sector |
|---|---|---|
| Information and communication | 21.2% | £51,200 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 20.5% | £45,000 |
| Education | 11.6% | £33,700 |
| Finance and insurance | 11.4% | £63,300 |
| Manufacturing | 8.6% | £42,100 |
| Public administration and defence | 6.2% | £42,100 |
| Wholesale and retail | 4.4% | £43,900 |
| Health and social work | 4% | £42,100 |
Most common specific industries
- Computer programming; consultancy and related activities — 16% of graduates in work, median £52,700
- Secondary education — 4.9% of graduates in work, median £34,400
- Architectural and engineering activities and related technical consultancy — 4.9% of graduates in work, median £39,200
- Management consultancy activities — 4.4% of graduates in work, median £50,900
- Higher education — 3.5% of graduates in work, median £33,700
- Monetary intermediation — 3.2% of graduates in work, median £67,000
How much do Physics graduates earn?
Official dataPhysics graduates had median earnings of £30,000 one year after graduating and £43,900 five years after graduating in the 2023–24 tax year. The median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at five years.
| Years after graduating | Median earnings | Middle half earned | In work or further study | All-subject median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 year after graduatingGraduated 2021/2022 | £30,000DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £23,800–£36,200 | 89.7% | £26,400 |
| 3 years after graduatingGraduated 2019/2020 | £37,300DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £29,300–£47,200 | 90.3% | £30,000 |
| 5 years after graduatingGraduated 2017/2018 | £43,900DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £34,000–£58,600 | 89.7% | £33,700 |
| 10 years after graduatingGraduated 2012/2013 | £54,500DfE LEO, Tax year 2023-24 | £40,300–£77,200 | 85.5% | — |
How one-year earnings have changed
Which universities have the highest-earning Physics and astronomy graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 Physics and astronomy graduates measured, Imperial College London had the highest median earnings five years after graduating (£66,600), followed by University of Oxford (£58,200) and University College London (£55,600).
| University | Median earnings | Graduates measured |
|---|---|---|
| Imperial College London | £66,600 | 125 |
| University of Oxford | £58,200 | 120 |
| University College London | £55,600 | 145 |
| King's College London | £52,300 | 70 |
| University of Warwick | £50,100 | 125 |
| Durham University | £49,400 | 150 |
| University of Edinburgh | £46,800 | 90 |
| University of Birmingham | £46,100 | 150 |
| University of Bath | £45,900 | 70 |
| University of Exeter | £45,400 | 130 |
Is Physics the right degree for you?
EditorialYou may enjoy it if
- You like deriving a result and then testing it.
- You are comfortable with calculus-heavy problem sets.
- You enjoy instrumentation and uncertainty analysis.
It may not suit you if
- You wanted a descriptive science with little maths.
- You dislike long problem sheets.
- You expected an automatic engineering chartership.
Interview questions for Physics graduate roles
EditorialGraduate physicist, technician and data-analyst interviews usually test measurement, uncertainty, and explaining a model. These prompts are editorial illustrations.
You take a reading that sits well outside the others. What do you do?
What it tests. Error analysis and repeating the measurement, not deleting the outlier to tidy a graph.
Explain a simple harmonic system from your course as if we have to build it.
What it tests. Physical intuition and what would actually break.
How would you check a sensor is telling the truth before a test run?
What it tests. Calibration, units, and a known reference.
A stakeholder wants a single number from a noisy dataset. How do you answer?
What it tests. Communicating uncertainty without hiding it.
Why might a simulation and a bench test disagree?
What it tests. Assumptions, boundary conditions, and what you would measure next.
Most Physics courses do not use a standard admissions interview. If a university invites you, it will say so — see UCAS on undergraduate interview invitations.
Illustrative question types for the roles above, not questions from a named employer.
Find Physics graduate jobs
Searched by the entry-level roles aboveSearch UK vacancies connected to physics. These are role matches, not guaranteed graduate-level jobs: read the experience, qualifications and work-permission requirements in each full advert.
Salary filters and ordering use the provider’s data, which can include estimates. Cards below show employer-listed pay only. Cached searches can be up to 30 minutes old; the employer’s advert confirms availability.
Checking vacancies for Graduate physicist…
Prepare your application with graduate cv examples, student cv examples, the free CV builder and the application tracker.
Is there an apprenticeship alternative to Physics?
EditorialTechnician and engineering apprenticeships can overlap with applied physics workplaces. This note is editorial.
Research exact university programmes
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Planning to study Physics in the UK?
Check the exact programme, entry requirements and total cost before applying. International applicants should also confirm qualification equivalence, English-language evidence and visa requirements.
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Universities for Physics in our index
122 universitiesAn editorial provision index, not a live UCAS catalogue: confirm current courses on UCAS. CourseToJob is not UCAS.Open Physics in the full university explorer.
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Physics degree: frequently asked questions
What jobs can you do with a Physics degree?
Common starting roles include graduate physicist, data analyst, laboratory technician and calibration engineer (entry). Five years after graduating, the most common sectors for Physics and astronomy graduates in work were information and communication (21.2%), professional, scientific and technical services (20.5%) and education (11.6%). These are examples, not guaranteed jobs: your experience, location and further training matter.
How much do Physics graduates earn in the UK?
DfE Longitudinal Education Outcomes data for the 2023–24 tax year shows median earnings for UK-domiciled Physics graduates of £30,000 one year after graduating, £37,300 three years after graduating, £43,900 five years after graduating and £54,500 ten years after graduating. Each figure describes a different graduating cohort, not one person's pay rise, and it is gross pay for those in sustained employment, not a starting salary offer.
Is a Physics degree worth it?
It depends on what you want to do. On the official data, 89.7% of Physics graduates were in sustained employment or further study five years after graduating, with median earnings of £43,900. For comparison, the median across all first-degree graduates of GB higher education institutions was £33,700 at the same point. That places Physics 17 of 146 subject groups by five-year median earnings. Earnings are only one factor: enjoyment of the subject, accreditation and the route into your target job matter too.
Which universities have the highest-earning Physics and astronomy graduates?
Among universities in our index with at least 50 graduates measured, the highest five-year median earnings for Physics and astronomy were at Imperial College London (£66,600), University of Oxford (£58,200) and University College London (£55,600). These figures reflect entry grades, subject mix and where graduates work, so they are not a measure of teaching quality.
Can international students study Physics in the UK?
Yes, most UK universities accept international applicants, but entry requirements, recognised qualifications, English-language evidence and overseas tuition fees depend on the university and programme. Check the university course page and international admissions team, then check visa requirements on GOV.UK.
Skilled Worker visas
Sponsorship depends on the job's occupation code and the current Skilled Worker rules, not on a subject's median pay. A Skilled Worker decision uses the higher of the general threshold and the SOC going rate. Subject LEO medians are not sufficient. Read the Skilled Worker job rules on GOV.UK.