The Campaign for Grinnell
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.
  • 40% Employment
  • 48% Graduate School
  • 5% Post-Graduate Service
  • 3% Fellowships
  • 0% Continuing Education
  • 5% 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
  • Chicago, IL
  • Madison, WI
  • New York, NY
  • San Francisco, CA

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
Ahlstrom-Munksjö process engineer
Epic technical problem solver
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab advanced biofuels postbaccalaureate researcher
Noble Network of Charter Schools engineering teacher
NVIDIA solutions architect
Salesforce data/research analyst
TMC Transportation software developer
Physics

Employment Data

Employer Position Location
Ahlstrom-Munksjö process engineer Mosinee, WI
Best Buy sales associate Flossmoor, IL
Brighter Minds SF math, science, writing, and SAT tutor San Francisco, CA
Deloitte technology analyst Arlington, VA
Deutsche Bank analyst New York, NY
Epic technical problem solver Verona, WI
Epic technical problem solver Verona, WI
Federal Reserve Bank of New York research analyst New York, NY
Gleeson Asphalt Inc. grade checker Belleville, IL
Goldman Sachs technology analyst New York, NY
Lawrence Berkeley National Lab advanced biofuels postbaccalaureate researcher Emeryville, CA
Lidar Guys light art technician Albuquerque, NM
Noble Network of Charter Schools engineering teacher Chicago, IL
NVIDIA solutions architect San Francisco, CA
Rush University Medical Center lab technician Chicago, IL
Salesforce data/research analyst San Francisco, CA
Sean Casten for Congress Campaign intern Chicago, IL
Shadowcliff rotating staff Grand Lake, CO
State of Maryland long-term substitute teacher Helfer County, MD
Sunflower Stables horse trainer Corvallis, OR
TD Ameritrade financial services trainee Omaha, NE
TMC Transportation software developer Ames, IA
Victory Gardens Theatre Company subscription sales Chicago, IL
WuXi AppTec associate sample coordinator St. Paul, MN
YMCA Camp Widjiwagan Tripping Center staff Ely, MN

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!
  • 9% Completely
  • 55% Moderately
  • 27% Slightly
  • 9% 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
Cornell University PhD applied physics
Iowa State University MS civil engineering
Northwestern University PhD materials science & engineering
Oregon State University PhD civil engineering
The Ohio State University PhD astrophysics
University of California PhD physics
University of Chicago PhD astronomy
University of Edinburgh MSc physics
University of Massachusetts PhD medical physics
University of Texas PhD electrical & computer engineering
Physics

Graduate Schools Data

Institution Degree Field of Study Location
Boston University PhD materials science Boston, MA
Brown University PhD computer science Providence, RI
California Institute of Technology PhD theoretical chemistry Pasadena, CA
Cornell University PhD applied physics Ithaca, NY
Iowa State University MS civil engineering Ames, IA
Missouri State University MS physics, astronomy, materials science Springfield, MO
Northwestern University PhD astronomy Evanston, IL
Northwestern University PhD materials science & engineering Evanston, IL
Northwestern University PhD physics Evanston, IL
Oregon State University PhD civil engineering Corvallis, OR
The Ohio State University PhD astrophysics Columbus, OH
Universität Heidelberg MSc physics Heidelberg, Germany
University of California PhD physical chemistry Berkeley, CA
University of California PhD physical chemistry Berkeley, CA
University of California PhD physics Davis, CA
University of Chicago PhD astronomy Chicago, IL
University of Chicago PhD astrophysics Chicago, IL
University of Colorado PhD physics Boulder, CO
University of Edinburgh MSc physics Edinburgh, UK
University of Hawaii MS civil engineering Honolulu, HI
University of Illinois MS accountancy Champaign, IL
University of Massachusetts PhD medical physics Lowell, MA
University of Minnesota JD law Minneapolis, MN
University of Minnesota PhD computer science Minneapolis, MN
University of Science & Technology of China MBA business administration Hefei, China
University of Texas PhD computer science Austin, TX
University of Texas PhD electrical & computer engineering Austin, TX
University of Wisconsin MS electrical engineering Madison, WI
University of Wisconsin PhD physics Madison, WI
Wayne State University PhD medical physics Detroit, MI

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.
81%
81% of students are accepted to their first or second choice graduate institution and program

Service

Service

Each year, Grinnellians advance causes and serve communities around the world as full-time volunteers.

Organization

  • Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
  • Northeast Iowa Food Bank
  • Peace Corps
Physics

Service Data

Organization Location
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights San Francisco, CA
Northeast Iowa Food Bank Waterloo, IA
Peace Corps Chengdu, China

Fellowships

Fellowships

Grinnell has a rich history of producing recipients of some of the most prestigious post-graduate fellowships and awards.

Organization

  • Thomas J. Watson Foundation
Physics

Fellowships Data

Organization Location
Grinnell College Grinnell, IA
Thomas J. Watson Foundation Bosnia, India, Peru, Thailand

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
37%
Physics

Internships Data

Organization Field Location
Apruve computing/technology Minneapolis, MN
CAVU Biotherapies research/science Houston, TX
College Kickstart computing/technology Pleasanton, CA
Community Boards social services San Francisco, CA
Community Power Network government/public policy Washington, DC
DCS corp (contractor for NRL) research/science Washington, DC
Fermilab research/science Batavia, IL
GINKIO sales/marketing Paris, France
Goldman Sachs computing/technology Jersey City, NJ
Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company business administration/management Honolulu, HI
Hertie School of Governance education Berlin, Germany
Higher Logic computing/technology Washington, DC
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies business administration/management Chicago, IL
Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies education Prague, Czech Republic
Katherine W. Davis Foundation social services Pachitulul, Guatemala
Medical College of Wisconsin research/science Milwaukee, WI
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory research/science Pasadena, CA
New Mexico Tech research/science Socorro, NM
Paktronix Systems LLC data science/analytics Omaha, NE
Papageorgiou General Hospital healthcare Thessaloniki, Greece
TrustRadius business administration/management Grinnell, IA
Underscore Theatre Company communications Chicago, IL
Washington State Department of Enterprise Services research/science Olympia, WA
Washington University in St. Louis research/science St. Louis, MO
Research
89%
Physics

Research Data

Organization Field Location
Aachen University thermal stability of glass fibers Aachen, Germany
Argonne National Laboratory wear & friction properties of novel hydrocarbon lubricants Lemont, IL
Brookhaven National Laboratory quantum yield of novel scintillating fluids Upton, NY
California Institute of Technology gravitational waves Pasadena, CA
California institute of Technology planetary physics Pasadena, CA
Cardiff University not specified Cardiff, UK
CERN particle physics Geneva, Switzerland
Chinese Academy of Sciences chemistry Beijing, China
Cornell University physics Ithaca, NY
Cornell University theoretical astrophysics Ithaca, NY
East Carolina University biomechanics Greenville, NC
Florida State University physics Tallahassee, FL
Georgia Institute of Technology seismology Atlanta, GA
Iowa State University microfluidics Ames, IA
MD Anderson Cancer Center biomedical imaging Houston, TX
Montana State University solar physics Bozeman, MT
National Institute of Standards and Technology structural engineering Gaithersburg, MD
New Jersey Institute of Technology biomedical engineering & tissue modeling Newark, NJ
North Carolina State University soil physics Raleigh, NC
North Carolina State University virtual world generation for interactive games Raleigh, NC
Northwestern University materials science Evanston, IL
Northwestern University materials science Evanston, IL
Oak Ridge National Lab chemistry Oak Ridge, TN
Oak Ridge National Laboratory machine learning in computational chemistry Oak Ridge, TN
Oak Ridge National Laboratory materials science Oak Ridge, TN
Oregon State University robotics Corvallis, OR
Purdue University geophysics West Lafayette, IN
Southern Illinois University electronic properties of two-dimensional solids Carbondale, IL
Stanford University materials science Menlo Park, CA
The University of Iowa optics & electrical engineering Iowa City, IA
Universität Koblenz-Landau physics Landau in der Pfalz, Germany
University of California electrical engineering Los Angeles, CA
University of Chicago quantum physics Chicago, IL
University of Colorado solar physics Boulder, CO
University of Iowa gamma ray astronomy Iowa City, IA
University of Michigan CERN REU particle physics Geneva, Switzerland
University of Minnesota novel machine learning algorithms for pattern recognition Minneapolis, MN
University of Pennsylvania computer vision Philadelphia, PA
University of South Carolina photolithography Columbia, SC
University of Texas materials science Dallas, TX
University of Wisconsin astroparticle physics Madison, WI
University of Wisconsin C++ modeling of neutrino particle collisions River Falls, WI
University of Wisconsin lithium ion battery physical chemistry Madison, WI
University of Wyoming high redshift quasars Laramie, WY
US Naval Research Laboratory medical physics Haiku, HI
Zhejiang University of Technology historic businesses Hangzhou, China
Service
48%
Off-Campus Study
32%

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