Graduate Outcomes

Physics

First Destinations

First Destinations

This graph illustrates the first destinations of recent alumni from the last four graduating classes. Details for each of these categories can be found below.
  • 35% Employment
  • 48% Graduate School
  • 0% Post-Graduate Service
  • 0% Fellowships
  • 6% Continuing Education
  • 11% Other

Top Locations

Top Locations

These are among the top locations of graduates in this major. Whether working, studying, or volunteering, you'll find Grinnellians all over the world.
Map of the world
  • Boston, MA
  • Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN
  • San Francisco Bay Area, CA
  • St. Louis, MO
  • Urbana-Champaign, IL

Employment

Employment

There is no typical path of a Grinnell graduate. As this list illustrates, Grinnellians work across all types of industries working with a rich array of employers.
Employer Position
Applied Research Associates junior optical engineer
Bloomberg data analyst
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory research assistant
National Renewable Energy Laboratory research intern
Stanford University software engineer
University of Cambridge research assistant
Physics

Employment Data

Employer Position Location
Aldi associate Minneapolis, MN
Amazon software development engineer Boston, MA
Applied Research Associates junior optical engineer Albuquerque, NM
Arkadia Traiskirchen Lions basketball player Traiskirchen, Austria
Bloomberg data analyst Tokyo, Japan
Catholic University of Korea medical physics researcher Seoul, Republic of Korea
Cornell University research intern Ithaca, NY
Datavant software engineer San Francisco, CA
Dev10 software developer Portland, OR
Epic client systems administrator Verona, WI
Grinnell College Makerspace manager Grinnell, IA
Hilton corporate rotational analyst Washington, DC
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory research assistant Berkeley, CA
MIT research technician Cambridge, MA
National Renewable Energy Laboratory research intern Golden, CO
Quentin STEM Academy for Health Sciences music teacher Avondale, AZ
Stanford University software engineer Palo Alto, CA
Thistledown Swim Academy IT & scheduling specialist Birmingham, AL
United States Navy NPTU instructor Charleston, SC
University of Cambridge research assistant Cambridge, UK
University of Illinois research assistant Urbana-Champaign, IL
University of Iowa research assistant Iowa City, IA
Valiant Capital Partners junior analyst San Francisco, CA

Positions Related to Career Goals

Positions Related to Career Goals

This graph illustrates the extent to which our graduates' first job is aligned with their career goals. It's one thing to find a job; it's an entirely different thing to land the job you want!
  • 47% Completely
  • 40% Moderately
  • 7% Slightly
  • 7% Not at All

Graduate Schools

Graduate Schools

Grinnell graduates are particularly well prepared for graduate study. You'll find Grinnellians attend the best graduate and professional school programs around the world.
Institution Degree Field of Study
Columbia University PhD astronomy
Northwestern University MEng mechanical engineering
Ohio State University PhD astronomy
Princeton University PhD science, technology & environmental policy
University of California MS aerospace engineering
University of Michigan PhD electric propulsion
University of Wisconsin PhD nuclear engineering
Physics

Graduate Schools Data

Institution Degree Field of Study Location
Columbia University MS mechanical engineering New York, NY
Columbia University PhD astronomy New York, NY
Cornell University MEng aerospace, aeronautical & astronautical engineering Ithaca, NY
Dartmouth College PhD physics Hanover, NH
George Mason University PhD physics Fairfax, VA
Hofstra University MS medical physics Hempstead, NY
Iowa State University MS materials science & engineering Ames, IA
Johns Hopkins University MS electrical engineering Baltimore, MD
Northeastern University PhD physics Boston, MA
Northwestern University MEng mechanical engineering Evanston, IL
Ohio State University PhD astronomy Columbus, OH
Oregon State University MS statistics Corvallis, OR
Princeton University PhD science, technology & environmental policy Princeton, NJ
Purdue University MS mechanical engineering West Lafayette, IN
Stanford University PhD physics Stanford, CA
Stony Brook University PhD applied math Stony Brook, NY
University of Alberta MS electrical & computer engineering Edmonton, Canada
University of California MEng environmental health engineering Berkeley, CA
University of California MS aerospace engineering San Diego, CA
University of California PhD astronomy & astrophysics Los Angeles, CA
University of California PhD physics Davis, CA
University of Illinois PhD materials science & engineering Urbana-Champaign, IL
University of Illinois PhD physics Urbana-Champaign, IL
University of Iowa MAT science Iowa City, IA
University of Michigan PhD electric propulsion Ann Arbor, MI
University of Minnesota PhD astrophysics Minneapolis, MN
University of Oklahoma MS medical physics Oklahoma City, OK
University of Oregon MS applied physics Eugene, OR
University of St. Thomas MDiv philosophy St. Paul, MN
University of Texas PhD astronomy Austin, TX
University of Wisconsin PhD nuclear engineering Madison, WI

Graduate School Acceptance Info

Of those who applied to and were accepted to at least one program, this chart illustrates the percentage of admitted students who were accepted to either their first or second choice program and institution.
55%
55% of students are accepted to their first or second choice graduate institution and program

Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning

Participation in high-impact experiences is a hallmark of a Grinnell education. The following graphs illustrate the percentage of graduates who completed internships, research experiences (both on- and off-campus), service, and/or off-campus study prior to graduating from Grinnell.
Internships
36%
Physics

Internships Data

Organization Field Location
Analytical AI computing/technology Birmingham, AL
B3 Group Inc. computing/technology Hernden, VA
BRCK computing/technology Nairobi, Kenya
Caribbean Sustainable Energy & Innovation Institute environment/sustainability Kingston, Jamaica
Creative Investment Research environment/sustainability Washington, DC
Crystal Method Co. computing/technology Tokyo, Japan
Dahua Tech computing/technology Hangzhou, China
Dash Arts creative/performing arts London, UK
Datavant computing/technology San Francisco, CA
Emera Caribbean Ltd. environment/sustainability Bridgetown, Barbados
Enginevision data science/analytics Cairo, Egypt
FamilyWise social services Minneapolis, MN
Fondi inc. computing/technology Tokyo, Japan
Grinnell College Office of Admission education Grinnell, IA
History Factory sales/marketing Washington, DC
ICBC International finance Hong Kong, Hong Kong
International Center for Diarrheal Disease Research research/science Dhaka, Bangladesh
JAXA research/science remote
Meta computing/technology Menlo Park, CA
MidCap Financial Services, LLC finance Bethesda, MD
Morningstar finance Washington, DC
NASA research/science Huntsville, AL
National Renewable Energy Lab computing/technology Golden, CO
Oppenheim & Zebrak Law, LLP law/legal services Washington, DC
Osmania University research/science Hyderabad, India
Powerley computing/technology Royal Oak, MI
Siemens research/science Buffalo Grove, IL
Textron Aviation research/science Wichita, KS
TPI Composites computing/technology Newton, IA
U.S. Department of Agriculture research/science Coconino County, AZ
University of Cambridge research/science Cambridge, UK
University of Wisconsin research/science Eau Claire, WI
YMCA of Northern Utah education Salt Lake City, UT
Research
71%
Physics

Research Data

Organization Field Location
Biostat Global Consulting effect of post stratification on survey weights remote
Harvard University astronomy Cambridge, MA
Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium (Wellesley College) exoplanet transit observations Wellesley, MA
LLR-École Polytechnique jet substructure analysis Paris, France
Middle Tennessee State University acoustic & optical physics Murfreesboro, TN
MIT dark matter detection Cambridge, MA
MIT particle physics instrumentation Cambridge, MA
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center heliophysics & plasma Huntsville, AL
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center heliophysics Huntsville, AL
National Renewable Energy Laboratory geothermal energy Golden, CO
Northern Arizona University main-belt asteroid bulk statistics Flagstaff, AZ
Northwestern University mechanical engineering Evanston, IL
Notre Dame topological superconductors South Bend, IN
Princeton University physical oceanography remote
South Dakota State University perovskite solar cells Brookings, SD
University of Iowa computational particle physics remote
University of Iowa origin of dark matter Iowa City, IA
University of Iowa theoretical gravitational physics Iowa City, IA
University of Michigan particle physics Ann Arbor, MI
University of Milan physics Milan, Italy
University of Minnesota dark matter & strong gravitational lenses Minneapolis, MN
University of Minnesota material science Minneapolis, MN
University of Texas infrared detection Austin, TX
University of Wyoming observational astronomy & astrophysics Laramie, WY
Virginia Tech neutrino physics Blacksburg, VA
Washington State University experimental physics Pullman, WA
Washington University in St. Louis computational fluid dynamics St. Louis, MO
Service
73%
Off-Campus Study
33%

We use cookies to enable essential services and functionality on our site, enhance your user experience, provide better service through personalized content, collect data on how visitors interact with our site, and enable advertising services.

To accept the use of cookies and continue on to the site, click "I Agree." For more information about our use of cookies and how to opt out, please refer to our website privacy policy.