What's next on your career trajectory?

Taking the next step after graduation can be daunting. Our department is here to help you on your journey to landing your dream job.
As part of the visiting seminar series, students listen to an engineer from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center share insights from their work.

As part of the visiting seminar series, students listen to a systems engineer, David Everett, from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center share insights from their work.

Professional Seminars in Physics & Astronomy

Our department prepares students not only to understand physics content but also to build meaningful careers after graduation. Through a pair of professional seminars, students gain the skills, experiences, and confidence to navigate academic and professional opportunities beyond graduation.

  • PHYS 17801 – Professional Physics and Astronomy Seminar I: An introduction to the physics major that helps students explore career paths, connect with the department community, and learn how to thrive as a physics student.
  • PHYS 27800 – Professional Physics and Astronomy Seminar II: A hands-on seminar focused on developing communication, teamwork, and technical skills while preparing for research, internships, and careers beyond graduation.
  • PHYS 49000 – Professional Physics and Astronomy Capstone: A capstone course that offers students the opportunity to reflect on their experiences at Ithaca College and emphasizes personal and professional development through written reflection and career preparation activities, such as cover letters, resumés, personal statements, and interview skills.

Physics & Astronomy Visiting Seminar Series

Our Physics & Astronomy Seminar Series brings scientists, engineers, and alumni from a wide range of careers to campus to share  experiences and insights from their careers. Speakers discuss how they built their careers in physics, engineering, or astronomy, what their work looks like day-to-day, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Each seminar includes a Q&A session, giving students the chance to connect directly with professionals and envision their own future paths.

Career Connections and Resources

Our department has partnered with the Ithaca College Center for Career Exploration and Development to provide students with tools and guidance for exploring career paths in physics, engineering, astronomy, and related fields. These resources build on the Career Center’s broader support, helping students connect classroom learning with internships, research experiences, and job opportunities.

Students looking at a presentation at Ursa Systems

Physics and engineering students visited the Ursa Space Systems corporate office in Ithaca, NY to learn about satellite intelligence infrastructure using images from the world's largest virtual radar satellite constellation.

What can I do with this major?

What Can I Do With This Major? is a website featuring 106 major profiles with information on common career paths, types of employers that hire in the field, and strategies to maximize opportunities. Links to professional associations, occupational outlook information, and job search resources are included.

How to get there:

  1. Visit the Key Resources page on the IC Center for Career Exploration and Development.
  2. Click on the middle resource in the top row (laptop view) or the second resource in the list (phone view) to access What Can I Do With This Major. 
    Please note: you can only gain access to this resource through the Careers page because WCIDWTM is not an open resource to all.

How to use it: 

Find the major(s) you are interested in and explore the different common job sectors open to students in that major. For each sector, read about Common Career Paths, Employers, and Strategies to get into that sector. See bottom of the page for more related resource links as well!

Matt Weil, '24, conducted summer research at NASA's Langley Research Center.

Matt Weil, '24, conducted summer research at NASA's Langley Research Center, where he was able to visit leading science and aviation facilities in Virginia. 

Handshake

Search internships, fellowships, full time jobs, and more on Handshake! All employers on Handshake have been vetted and shown a vested interest in hiring IC students. Filter by location, visa sponsorship, job type, and more.

How to get there: 

Create a free account on ithaca.joinhandshake.com/edu

How to use it: 

Learn how to search jobs with this quick video, or check out the Handshake Youtube page for tips, tricks and virtual event recordings on a variety of topics!

CareerShift

Search a web-scraped list of internships, full time jobs, and more. Each search result will include job description details, as well as the original source of this posting. Filter by location, in-person/hybrid/virtual positions, entry level jobs, and more. You can also use the Contacts search function to find contact information for IC alumni in different industries and locations to set up informational interviews and stay in contact.

How to get there: 

Create a free account with your IC email on https://www.careershift.com/?sc=Ithaca. If you would like to use your personal email, the sign up code for a free account is “bombers”.

How to use it: 

Learn how to search jobs with this quick video. Learn how to search contacts with this quick video.

Tips for Job Search Keywords

Queries to consider: junior physicist, architect, scientist, engineer, lab assistant, technician, research assistant, etc

Tip: include specialty area terms like nuclear, acoustics, aerospace, astro, quantum, electrical, etc. Explore interdisciplinary opportunities like biophysics, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, etc.

Find more tips by visiting the IC Center for Career Exploration and Development and/or by talking to your advisor.

Professional Associations