What could i do with a double major of physics and chemistry?

[nst.john]

I'm thinking of double majoring in physics and chemistry but I don't know what I can do career-wise with that double major. What kind of careers would be out there for me if I double majored in physics and chemistry, and how advanced of a degree in both would I need?

 

[myranaira]

Materials Science research or grad school programs? That area seems to be very interdisciplinary and would definitely require both some physics and chemistry knowledge.

 

[yungman]

I add another question. What kind of jobs you can get without a PHD in physics and chemistry? My degree was chemistry back in the late 70s, I am sure time has change as the field of genetics and drugs are getting much bigger. But those days, if you don't have a PHD, the jobs are more lab rats. Find out with kind of jobs you can get without a PHD. It's a big commitment to shoot for a PHD.

People dream of research and development, invention etc. But how realistic to find a job like this without a PHD. I worked for a company called Charles Evans and Assoc. That do material analysis using various mass spectrometers. 80% of the analysis are PHDs. They do only analysis of materials for customers. I don't even think I want their job. Yes, there are also scientist that are brilliant like our CTO. He just sat there and dreamed up new mass spectrometer and metrolysis equipments. But we have only him and one chief scientist as a right hand man. Question is are you that good?

I can see a lot of opportunities with a physics+EE+software. Scientific programming need to have knowledge of physics and calculus.

I am not trying to discourage you or anything. Do research in what kind of jobs you can realistic get, look at whether that's what you want to do first, NOT whether you are good in the subject or not alone. I went into chemistry because I was good at it. I got straight A in all the lectures in college. Problem is I found out what kind of jobs I could get at the time...lab rats. I hate it, I never work a day in chemistry. Never even sent out a single resume. But again, I am from different era.