Earnings

• Physicists who graduate with a bachelor's degree earn an approximate starting salary between $46,000 and $58,000 per year, according to the American Physical Society. Some recent physics graduates earn up to $64,000 per year.
  
  

Other Earnings

• Physicists have some of the highest starting earnings of any science-degree graduates, with the exception of chemical, electrical and mechanical engineers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median annual earnings of physicists were $106,390 as of May 2009. Physicists who earned the least made less than $56,210 and those who earned the most made more than $165,750.
  
  

Industry

• Physicists work in a variety of industries. Most are employed in the scientific research and development services industry. Others are employed with the federal government, colleges and universities, and consulting firms. The highest-paid physicists are employed by physician's offices and in medical and surgical hospitals. These industries pay physicists a mean wage of more than $148,000 per year, according to the BLS.
  
  

Education and Skills

• Physicists can enter the workforce with a bachelor's degree. Bachelor's candidates typically work as technicians or research assistants. Most continue their educations to the master's or doctorate level to qualify for research or teaching positions. An undergraduate physics education consists of a broad range of courses in natural science and math. Students take courses in quantum mechanics, thermodynamics, optics and more.
  
  Physicists must be analytical, have keen mathematical ability and possess strong problem-solving skills. Good communication skills are necessary for research and development positions. Physicists employed in the government sector are usually required to have security clearance and be U.S. citizens.