July 2011 Physics and: its advantages An Institute of Physics briefing note

One of the IOP’s fundamental aims is to Physics opens many doors increase the number of people who choose Having some qualification in physics, whether at general of the Russell Group of 20 of the UK’s to study physics. Why? 16–19 level or for an undergraduate degree, brings leading universities. From a national a range of benefits to the student – both “Studying physics at school is excellent perspective, the answer intellectually and in terms of career opportunities. preparation for a range of challenging and T

O is clear. Science and A report produced for the Institute in 2007 by rewarding degree courses and careers both H S O T O

H engineering are key to Greg Rowland Semiotics describes physics as a inside and out of the sciences. This is why it is P renewed economic growth, and to meeting the “triumph of the enlightenment”. It went on to one of the ‘facilitating subjects’ most frequently challenges of the 21st century, from sustainable add that while lay-people go about their lives cited as essential for entry onto both STEM and energy and global security to lifelong health and understanding little of the world, physicists non-STEM courses at Russell Group universities.” wellbeing. To rise to these challenges we need to “have access to a greater understanding of the Having the best system of school-level physics ensure that our education system is producing universe that everyone else merely occupies”. education that we can will mean that more enough people with the right skills – and physics is That understanding, and a more scientific way people are better equipped to excel in the full an essential step in training for most science and of thinking, are developed not only by degree- spectrum of higher-education courses – or in a engineering disciplines. level qualifications but also by physics at A-level, wide range of careers. From an individual perspective, studying or at Higher and Advanced Higher in Scotland. This is because physics does not only have physics also offers real advantages. A-level or At that 16–19 level, physics is also a value on its own terms or for its own sake, but Higher physics is a valuable qualification for entry “facilitating subject”, considered suitable the intellectual challenge of studying the subject to a variety of courses at leading universities. A preparation for a wide range of degree courses translates into qualities highly sought-after by physics degree develops skills that open up an precisely because of the way of thinking that it employers. So as well as being of individual unrivalled range of career options, from helps to inculcate. benefit, having a strong physics education manufacturing to the health services, and the “Subject choices at school or college can system and encouraging uptake of the subject computer games industry to the finance sector. be crucial to maximising a young person’s life helps to ensure that the UK workforce has skills And research shows that physics graduates can chances,” says Wendy Piatt, the director- the country’s companies require. expect to earn more on average than the Naturally enough, physics develops skills such graduates of most other disciplines. as analytical and problem-solving ability, or the So the more people we can encourage to Physics develops a range of knack of grasping complex concepts quickly. But study physics, the better for us all. That’s why, it also develops a wide range of “soft” skills vital at IOP, we continue to campaign for more transferable skills such as to any modern workplace – learning to work in specialist physics teachers, and better careers problem-solving ability teams; communication skills; and making a >>> G U

advice for students. S T O I M A G E S /

Prof. Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, S C I E N C E

Acting President, Institute of Physics P H O T O L I B R A R Y “We see science and math qualifications as reliable indicators of problem-solvers who can work in any area of the company.” Stephen Kennedy Physics team leader, Havok

“Studying physics at school is excellent preparation for a range of challenging and rewarding degree courses.” Wendy Piatt Director general, Russell Group Physicists in medicine might specialise in using diagnostic imaging tools such as MRI Physics and: its ad vantages www.iop.org physics are so well-regarded by employers, individuals are rare,” says their physics team Employers are finding it people with a qualification in it tend to be better leader Stephen Kennedy. “A key component of our difficult to recruit people with paid than those who do most other subjects. products is not just abstract solving of This earnings premium may be a particularly mathematical problems, but innovation in scientific skills and are paying important consideration with the coming choosing how to model the systems we’re a premium for them increase in university tuition fees, as students interested in. We see science and math increasingly see a degree as an investment for qualifications as reliable indicators of problem- case to, for example, do a particular project. their future and want to extract the best value for solvers who can work in any area of the company.” Physics graduates can be found in virtually money from it. The individual value of studying physics every sector of the economy. A longitudinal study A degree in physics has been worth naturally leads to benefits to the country as a of IOP members found that of those graduating considerably above average for some time, and whole. The report by PricewaterhouseCoopers from 2005–10 and going straight into work this is likely to be the case for the foreseeable mentioned above was initially compiled before rather than into further study, 15% work in future. The CBI recently stated that 43% of the introduction of variable tuition fees in 2006, education, 7% in government, 28% in industry, employers are finding it difficult to recruit when the average degree cost around £21 000 to 21% in services and 29% in other areas. workers with skills in science, engineering, teach, but found that, although laboratory-based Of those in services, 42% were in the financial maths and technology and are therefore paying subjects such as physics are more expensive for sector, where skills such as numeracy, analytic a premium for them. universities, their graduates also provide more tax ability and problem-solving are particularly highly A report produced on behalf on the Institute and revenue – £135 000 over their working lifetimes, prized. Of those who participated in the Institute’s the Royal Society of Chemistry by the professional- compared to an average of £93 000. survey, 58% said that their occupation was not services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers found that So although the initial investment in a physics particularly related or not at all related to physics, physics graduates earn 30% more over the course student is higher, the return on investment more and yet 79% said that their physics background of their career than someone holding just A-levels. than pays this back even when only accounting for was quite useful or very useful. For the average graduate this figure was 23% above additional tax revenue – without taking into With the proliferation of physics-based A-levels. For some subjects it was just 13–16%. account the wealth-creation for which physicists are hospital equipment such as MRI scanners, In Scotland, a survey of which the results were responsible, or technology such as life-saving MRI radiotherapy and now proton therapy, physicists published at the end of 2009 found that more machines developed and operated by physicists. are increasingly found in a medical environment than half of those who had graduated in physics The absolute number of people taking physics – in areas such as diagnostic imaging, nuclear from Scottish institutions earned salaries of over degrees has been increasing recently, but it has medicine or therapies to treat diseases such as £40 000, and 40% of them more than £50 000. declined steeply as a proportion of the total cancer using radiation or particle beams. That figure rose to 50% for physics graduates number of undergraduates. The number of A- Dimitra Darambara, the team leader of who had completed their degrees before 1991. level entries is just beginning to rise again after a multimodality molecular imaging in the Joint The differences in salary do tend to become lengthy decline. Department of Physics at the Institute of Cancer more pronounced later in the career as the For both the individual and the economy, the Research and Royal Marsden Hospital says: “As a various benefits of a physics education become case for encouraging more students to choose medical physicist, I feel privileged to have a job that even more apparent. physics is clear. We know that key factors in enables me to translate important findings in basic Many physics graduates can be found working students’ subject choices are first and foremost physics research from bench to bedside by on the development of computer games, where the quality of classroom teaching, and the careers developing and implementing innovative and they earn an average of £46 000 – more than any advice available. This is why the Institute of Physics advanced multimodal medical imaging techniques other type of graduate in that industry. Companies continues to campaign for a specialist physics for the next generation of healthcare hardware with such as Havok, who provide software to the game teacher in every school, and to work to ensure that direct impact on the quality of life.” and film industries, highly value people with careers advisers are knowledgeable about the Because the skills developed by studying aptitude for both physics and computing. “These opportunities opened up by studying physics. S H U T T

FURTHER READING E R S T O C K Institute of Physics reports G Physics on course: Physics courses in higher education (2011) G Tracking the careers of UK physics students (2010) G Physics in Scotland: the brightest minds go further (2009) G Demand for STEM skills (2008) G Semiotic Analysis and Development: Physics (2007) G The Economic Benefits of Higher Educa - tion Qualifications (2005) Other organisations’ reports: G Informed choices: A Russell Group guide to making decisions about post-16 education (Russell Group, 2011) G Next Gen: Transforming the UK into the world’s leading hub for the video games and visual effects industries (Nesta, 2011) Physicists earn more than any other type of graduate in the computer games industry Physics and: its ad vantages www.iop.org