What can you do with physics?
A career in physics can be rewarding and lucrative!
- Why study Physics?
- What jobs can I do with a degree in Physics? You might be surprised! spot the physicist in this poster
- Do physics jobs pay well? Yes they do!
Physics Careers
Wondering what you can do with a degree in Physics or Physical Oceanography? Here are some in-demand careers that you may not have thought about!
Medical Physics is a branch of healthcare that focuses on things like Ultrasound, MRI, Nuclear Medicine, Radiation Therapy, and much more. CAMPEP Accredited Graduate-level Medical Physics programs exist in multiple Canadian universities. More info about Medical Physics careers is available from the Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists website.
Meteorologists study the Earth's atmosphere, focusing on weather forecasting. They work in the public sector, private sector, and academia. A Physics degree provides the perfect start on your path to becoming a meteorologist. After your Physics B.Sc., a 1 year certificate in meteorology is available regionally at Dalhousie and at multiple other institutions throughout Canada.
In Canada, a major employer of Meteorologists is the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC), a branch of Enivronment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). We've been fortunate to have members of the MSC share information about their work.
Key points from the Meteorological Service of Canada
- To work with the MSC, candidates are required to have completed a degree in Meteorology or a degree in Math or sciences with a certificate in Meteorology.
- The educational requirement of the MSC is at least 10 courses in Math and Physics courses and 6 courses in meteorology including dynamic meteorology, thermodynamic meteorology, and synoptic meteorology (the 1 year diploma provides these last 6).
- Courses from our program that are particularly useful include Physics 3220, 3230, 3300, 3400, 4205, and 4300.
- The MSC employs 500 meteorologists across Canada. Last year, the starting salaray was ~$70,000. This goes up to ~$114,000 after 10 years. It also includes a defined benefit pension.
- At MSC there is a three-year probationary period including 7-8 months in the classroom.
- MSC provides four different forecasting programs in multiple locations throughout Canada: Storm Prediction Centres, Aviation Centres, Ice Services, and Aviation and Defence Weather Service
More info on meteorological work in Canada can be accessed at the Environment and Climate Change Canada and Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society websites.