Astrophysicist Salary: Opportunities & Income

[Choppy]

I spend a lot of time with a medical physicist, he is in charge of all the radiologists and radioactive equip in a hospital he makes 150k with a PHD in physics.

As a general rule, medical physicists aren't in charge of radiologists. Perhaps you mean radiology technicians or radaition therapists?

Also medical physics is a profession as well as an academic discipline. Because there is a clinical component to the work, a board-certified medical physicist can expect to earn a significantly larger salary than an academic.

 

[seath]

Hello, I am a senior in high school and have been accepted into a few colleges as a physics major. I just wanted to say that even though thinkies will probably change his mind 20x more before he settles on something (as i myself may do) it is generally a good idea to find out about a field before changing one's mind and so I do not see why many people here have yelled at him for that. Also, this is a physics forum not an english forum so i do not understand why the issue of spelling is relivent. (perhaps i am ignorent though... Who knows other than nonignorent people?)

At any rate, this thread has cleared some of my own questions as to salarys. This is not a main concern for me really (my parents put together make about 1/4th of one of your parent's income) however, i was curious as to the wages earned just to get some sort of ballpark estimations as to what i should expect if i continue with physics (as i intend to do because i have been inlove with space and math for as far back as i can accuratly remember). So, thank you thinkiesand all who have posted here for this information.

 

[Brian_C]

I spend a lot of time with a medical physicist, he is in charge of all the radiologists and radioactive equip in a hospital he makes 150k with a PHD in physics.

Medical physicists receive their education from medical physics programs, not physics departments. Someone with a regular Ph.D in physics would not be qualified to work as a medical physicist.

 

[j93]

AND why does a f***** doctor make more then an astrophysicist, both of them require same hard work, just different fields. Lack of people in astrophysics?...o.0

Haha . Think about how much an MBA makes for another year or two after undergrad while taking classes on negotiation.

 

[harvellt]

Well here is the other way to think of this. I am 26 and have plenty of friends I graduated high school with who have/are going back to college for something totally differnt either beacuse they ended up with a degree where they A)couldn't find work or B) didn't love the subject enough to continue on to grad school c) or they graduated with degrees they found out they HATED even though they were making good money.
Lesson I am getting at is do what you love and don't worry about getting it perfect the first time around.

 

[phreak]

What some people are missing is that even though the required qualifications of medical doctors and astrophysicists are about equal, the amount of work done by the former is significantly greater than that of the latter in actual occupation.

If you become a doctor, you're going to have to live with being called to your hospital in the middle of the night all the time, work 30 hour shifts, and make a lot of money without having the time to actually enjoy it. You're also going to have to work off that $200k you borrowed for medical school. On the other hand, if you become an astrophysicist and work at a university, you probably won't have too much money to pay back (since graduate school is free, with a small stipend), and you'll have to work maybe 10 hours a week teaching classes and holding office hours. The other portion of your time will be spent doing research, so that you have an extremely flexible schedule, and you'll be able to spend your time and money how you please. Also, don't forget about the benefits that working at a university entails. Often, if you work at a top university, you will get a sabbatical (paid travel every 4-6 years) and your children's tuition will be paid, even if you go to another school! Also, there's the fact that you only work about 8 months a year. Doctors certainly don't have that luxury.

If you really love astrophysics, I don't see why you'd work toward becoming a doctor just so that you could get $300k/year salary opposed to $100k/year salary, when the latter would be sufficient for pretty much everything, unless you wanted to buy a mansion or a Ferrari. Also, note that the average pay of professors at top schools hangs around $150k/year, and working at a top public will usually earn you about $100k/year. Of course, it usually takes about 5 or so years to become a full professor (perhaps more at a top institution), but assistant professors often make around $60k/year salary, which isn't bad at all.

 

[j93]

Also, note that the average pay of professors at top schools hangs around $150k/year, and working at a top public will usually earn you about $100k/year. Of course, it usually takes about 5 or so years to become a full professor (perhaps more at a top institution), but assistant professors often make around $60k/year salary, which isn't bad at all.

Why does the 100k number kept being thrown around when the amount your likely to get paid until youre in your mid to late 40's is 60K/year and top schools are about the top 50 with each employing about 10-20 full professors which means about 100 full professor positions of people being paid about $120,000. Where did you get the average pay number for top schools?

I can't imagine what the top 100 doctors are being paid but I imagine they would be type of doctors who could make in a month or less what the top astrophysicst are making. The type of specialist that fly's all around the world being payed thousands for a days work performing surgery.

just trying to be truthful.

 

[arunma]

Hello, I am a senior in high school and have been accepted into a few colleges as a physics major. I just wanted to say that even though thinkies will probably change his mind 20x more before he settles on something (as i myself may do) it is generally a good idea to find out about a field before changing one's mind and so I do not see why many people here have yelled at him for that. Also, this is a physics forum not an english forum so i do not understand why the issue of spelling is relivent. (perhaps i am ignorent though... Who knows other than nonignorent people?)

At any rate, this thread has cleared some of my own questions as to salarys. This is not a main concern for me really (my parents put together make about 1/4th of one of your parent's income) however, i was curious as to the wages earned just to get some sort of ballpark estimations as to what i should expect if i continue with physics (as i intend to do because i have been inlove with space and math for as far back as i can accuratly remember). So, thank you thinkiesand all who have posted here for this information.

I probably already posted this a few months ago, but here goes again (with updated numbers!).

My advisor, an experimental high energy astrophysicist and tenured full professor, made $103,000 in 2008. Another professor in my group, a theoretical high energy astrophysicist and tenured associate professor, made $93,000 in 2008. Note that both of these guys are tenured. An untenured professor will probably make something like $60,000 per year. And a post-doc will only make on the order of twice a grad student's salary, implying ~ $40,000 per year. Becoming a professor is an arduous journey, and it's not one that you want to make for the sake of money. Certainly professors live comfortable lives and are free of financial difficulty. But this isn't the kind of job that'll have you rolling in cash. If you want to make money with a physics PhD there are better ways. You could become a financial analyst and probably get rich that way (though with the economy the way it is, I don't know for sure). Only problem is that you won't be doing physics anymore. If this doesn't bother you, then go for it. But if you want to be doing interesting scientific research for a living, the professor route is the way to go.

Medical physicists receive their education from medical physics programs, not physics departments. Someone with a regular Ph.D in physics would not be qualified to work as a medical physicist.

This is true, but apparently a PhD physicist can do a medical physics postdoc and get into the field. I know because I'm seriously considering a career in medical physics (I'm doing my PhD in experimental high energy astrophysics). I'm told that astrophysics to medical physics is actually a fairly easy transition, since both areas involve things like radiation, imaging, etc. My department recently had someone come over who had graduated with his PhD in observational astronomy, and who was now working as a medical physicist. The bright side is that you get paid an insane amount of money. The drawback is that you sell your soul to industry by not being able to do basic science research anymore. I guess it's a lot like being an engineer. You'll get to use physics every day on the job, but you won't be discovering anything about the fundamental nature of the universe or anything.

 

[phreak]

Why does the 100k number kept being thrown around when the amount your likely to get paid until youre in your mid to late 40's is 60K/year and top schools are about the top 50 with each employing about 10-20 full professors which means about 100 full professor positions of people being paid about $120,000. Where did you get the average pay number for top schools?

http://chronicle.com/stats/aaup/

Do a few quick searches and you'll see just how much modern professors get paid. The average professor at Harvard makes over $180k/year. Average at Chicago is $170k/year. Rutgers is $130k/year. Fact is, modern professors get paid quite a bit. Assistant professors at respective institutions make $95k, $90k, and $80k. And professorship doesn't take 15-20 years to attain. More like 5-10. So you'll probably be paid about $70-80k for your first 5-10 years, and more than $100k after.

 

[Choppy]

I don't mean to jump on these recent posts, but I thought I might clear up a few misonceptions.

On the other hand, if you become an astrophysicist and work at a university, you probably won't have too much money to pay back (since graduate school is free, with a small stipend), and you'll have to work maybe 10 hours a week teaching classes and holding office hours. The other portion of your time will be spent doing research, so that you have an extremely flexible schedule, and you'll be able to spend your time and money how you please. Also, don't forget about the benefits that working at a university entails. Often, if you work at a top university, you will get a sabbatical (paid travel every 4-6 years) and your children's tuition will be paid, even if you go to another school! Also, there's the fact that you only work about 8 months a year. Doctors certainly don't have that luxury.

(1) Gradute school isn't free. Most students get some form of financial support that covers tuition and perhaps enough money for food and rent. Many take part-time jobs or go further into debt while studying. (Although the debt-load it far less than M.D.s).

(2) While the workload is quite flexible with hours, for people to be successful researchers they have to put in LONG hours - still in the office at 3 am kind of hours on some nights. Not to mention teaching is more than just class time and office hours. It takes time to put together a good lecture. Further, just because your teaching duties are only for 8 months, doesn't mean you have the summers off (unless you only have a teaching position). In addition to research, professors have to mentor graduate students year round, do committee work, attend conferences (okay maybe that's a perk), host conferences (not a perk), and review papers.

Of course, it usually takes about 5 or so years to become a full professor.

(3) Where does this number come from? My experience would suggest:
- undergraduate ~ 4 years
- graduate ~ 4-8 years
- post doctoral work / lecturer ~ 4 years
- assistant proffessor ~ 5 years
- associate professor ~ 5 years

So basically, you can be looking at upwards of 15 years out of graduate school before you become a full professor. And some people spend their lives jumping from post-doc to post-doc.

In spirit, however, I think I basically agree with the point that Phreak is making: that you do earn a decent living in academia and the demands are in general less than those of a medical doctor.

This is true, but apparently a PhD physicist can do a medical physics postdoc and get into the field. I know because I'm seriously considering a career in medical physics (I'm doing my PhD in experimental high energy astrophysics). I'm told that astrophysics to medical physics is actually a fairly easy transition, since both areas involve things like radiation, imaging, etc. My department recently had someone come over who had graduated with his PhD in observational astronomy, and who was now working as a medical physicist. The bright side is that you get paid an insane amount of money. The drawback is that you sell your soul to industry by not being able to do basic science research anymore. I guess it's a lot like being an engineer. You'll get to use physics every day on the job, but you won't be discovering anything about the fundamental nature of the universe or anything.

(4) While it's true that many people in the past have jumped from other branches of physics into medical physics, it's becoming more and more difficult to make the transition without medical physics specific training. You're a lot less competative for residency positions and the positions that are available, are often a lot less desirable. I know several Ph.D.s who are doing an M.Sc. in medical physics in order to do the transition.

(5) I agree that the research isn't "fundamental nature of the universe" type stuff, but I wouldn't say you've sold your soul either. You still get to do research and its research that helps a lot of people. Medical physicists have even won nobel prizes.

The real caveate in medical physics is that the added financial benefits come with added responsibility. When a medical doctor makes a mistake, the error usually only affects one person directly. If a medical physicist makes a mistake, it can affect hundreds to thousands of people.

 

[j93]

http://chronicle.com/stats/aaup/

Do a few quick searches and you'll see just how much modern professors get paid. The average professor at Harvard makes over $180k/year. Average at Chicago is $170k/year. Rutgers is $130k/year. Fact is, modern professors get paid quite a bit. Assistant professors at respective institutions make $95k, $90k, and $80k. And professorship doesn't take 15-20 years to attain. More like 5-10. So you'll probably be paid about $70-80k for your first 5-10 years, and more than $100k after.

I obtained 85K 75%, 65K 50% by searching on salary databases for physics professors.
You really should read about making inferences on a sample group. Harvard and those other schools have professional school attached to them who have professors being paid a whole lot more more than a physics professor that is obviously going to raise the average salary but is irrelevant for physics.
You should also think about how many full professorships are available at elite schools in astrophysicist and compare that the the top doctors. It is not even close.

 

[j93]

(2) While the workload is quite flexible with hours, for people to be successful researchers they have to put in LONG hours - still in the office at 3 am kind of hours on some nights. Not to mention teaching is more than just class time and office hours. It takes time to put together a good lecture. Further, just because your teaching duties are only for 8 months, doesn't mean you have the summers off (unless you only have a teaching position). In addition to research, professors have to mentor graduate students year round, do committee work, attend conferences (okay maybe that's a perk), host conferences (not a perk), and review papers.

My experience is that professor in physics are working at least 60hrs/wk until your late 50's and could work more on their research because obtaining a professorship/tenure is competitive unless you are teaching at a bottom of the barrel school. You can't become a full professor at Harvard working 20-40 hours (part-time) on your research.

 

[arunma]

My experience is that professor in physics are working at least 60hrs/wk until your late 50's and could work more on their research because obtaining a professorship/tenure is competitive unless you are teaching at a bottom of the barrel school. You can't become a full professor at Harvard working 20-40 hours (part-time) on your research.

Rather true. I've seen professors in the office as late as 9 pm on Friday nights (usually I'm in the building watching a movie or something). This is one reason that I've considered options besides the research professor route, such as medical physics, teaching college, etc. You really need to like physics if you want to do this.

 

[Brian_C]

Almost every professor I've known has an easy job. They spend all day in their office sending emails and writing papers, and only occasionally check on their graduate students. The actual work they do in a typical day is a joke. In experimental groups, graduate students do the vast majority of the work. When I was a research assistant, I was even responsible for purchasing and repairing equipment. About the only thing the professor did was write articles, write up grant proposals, and attend conferences in Europe. The theoreticians have even easier jobs. Many of them do a lot of work from home.

 

[mooktank]

You're in 9th grade. Go live your life and experience things. Listen to music. Chase girls. Make friends.

Forget what your parents expect of you. You're hopefully going to become your own individual person some day.

Life does not have to be grim and serious.

 

[Brilliant_kid]

Some professors reach the $100k mark, sure.

If money is a primary motivating factor for you, you really shouldn't consider anything academic. The truth is that getting a PhD in physics is at least a 10 year commitment (starting in undergraduate school) during which you're hardly paid enough to eat. After you get the degree, you might spend years working visiting professorships or post-doctorate positions, again barely making enough money to eat. Once you finally break into the upper-tier schools -- if you do -- you might eventually make $100k/year.

I think it's pretty apparent that you don't care enough about the field to invest ten to fifteen years of your life to get to $100k/year. You're already asking us if there are other jobs which pay more.

Physics isn't a way to get rich. Give it up. Find another career.

- Warren

If you patent anything, wouldn't that add a lot to your sallary?

 

[j93]

So would investing in real estate or starting a business, You have a point?

 

[Cosmologist.]

Well, if you work in academics, you are not going to earn as much as a Doctor (I assume medical doctor.) It's just a fact of life. You won't be poor, but I have my doubts that you'll earn over 200,000 per year as an astrophysics. But hey, I know money is important thing to consider, but you should also consider the intangible things that come with being an astrophysicists. For starts, how cool would it be to say you are one?

You can double major in biology and physics. If you feel that you want to make more money as a doctor go that route, but if you find your love to be in space, go that route. Hell you might be able to do astro-biology or something,

You are absolutely right. Astrophysics make a good amount of money. Phd. professors of astrophysics earn a really good amount of money in astrophysics in good un iversities like MIT.

 

[Cosmologist.]

Studying physics itself is difficult because you need a lot of practice problems to work on to understand a concept.

It is difficult b/c physics is a study which requires hard work and u should be absolutely dvoted to physics. This is one reason people who study physics make a good amount of money.

 

[Cosmologist.]

No its not that, its just that the field of medicine is something that is in use every single day, while on the other hand the field of astrophysics is something that people would want for enjoyment (as in reading about it or just to know how the solar system works, not a top need).

I agree with you though personally I believe that astrophysics should be given a lot of importance b/c it is a subject that requires knowledge of nearly all the branches of physics plus a firm knowledge of math.

 

[Cosmologist.]

Hey guys/girls,

I was wondering if some of you can tell how good are the opportunities for a phD astrophysicist worldwide and exactly how much do they get paid. One thing that's bothering me is that we study for phD level and from what I've heard, astrophysicist don't really get as much as a doctor. Doctors often make 10-20 TIMES more then astrophysicist. ON TOP, my parents are *kinda* forcing me to take biology and become a doctor, they believe i will 'ruin' my life and even waste time...without earning a lot(beside,almost everyone in my family is a doctor...=.= )...

Any thoughts about this?! I am so confused and frustrated...

Thanks.

If u really like Astrophysics then u should convince ur parents that u want to do it. Also it's wrong that astrophysicist don't earn more money than doctors. Some astrophysicist earn more money than doctors especially if they are professor.

 

[al-saidi]

i don't care how much a theretical physict get paid i want to be one i want to have infinite knowledge about the universe,i want to understand the laws governing our daily life, iwant to know god, what he is thinking, how he created the universe, the atom, its not about money its about passion and questions that needs to be answerd maybe u should take that into consideration

 

[harvellt]

yea, but we still got to eat.

 

[eri]

Seeing as how this was posted about two years ago, he's probably not hanging around anymore. And harvellt is very correct; while you often don't have to worry much about money in high school, getting out on your own, paying rent, paying off student loans, supporting a family - it's expensive, and can be very expensive depending on where you live. Also, you appear to have a very idealized idea of what being a theoretical physicist is all about. It's far more about picking a very specific field and becoming an expert in that area; it's not all-encompasing, and certainly doesn't extend into religion or philosophy (at least, not if you're doing it right).

 

[Ryker]

i don't care how much a theretical physict get paid i want to be one i want to have infinite knowledge about the universe,i want to understand the laws governing our daily life, iwant to know god, what he is thinking, how he created the universe, the atom, its not about money its about passion and questions that needs to be answerd maybe u should take that into consideration

So what are you going to do when you see what you wish can't be achieved?

 

[protegy100]

What math classes do you recommend I take in college in order to become an astrophysicist?

 

[twofish-quant]

i don't care how much a theretical physict get paid i want to be one i want to have infinite knowledge about the universe,i want to understand the laws governing our daily life, iwant to know god, what he is thinking, how he created the universe, the atom, its not about money its about passion and questions that needs to be answerd maybe u should take that into consideration

That's a horrible reason to study physics, because the more you study the more you realize that you don't really understand what is going on.

 

[Nano-Passion]

That's a horrible reason to study physics, because the more you study the more you realize that you don't really understand what is going on.

Haha I love this, it inspires me to learn more! I believe the journey there is more important than the end. Anyhow, what he probably means is that he wants to learn as much as possible and that figuring out the intricacies of the laws governed by nature fascinates him.

 

[vhbelvadi]

Even if the salary does get higher by 2025 (and it probably will) I doubt it'll be in any position to compare with a doctor. We hardly find money-minded astrophysicists any day. I suppose, like Warren said, it's all about passion for the discipline. You don't have that, you might as well look some place else; but if you do, then the intellectual pleasure will be far more rewarding than any monetary benefits. Plus, if you're good, you just might be able to make more money than just an average astrophysicist.
Personally I think you have quite a lot of time to decide and there is always the chance that your interests may waiver so while it's good to keep the goal in mind, it's also important not to jump the gun.

 

[twofish-quant]

Even if the salary does get higher by 2025 (and it probably will) I doubt it'll be in any position to compare with a doctor.

Starting comp for a Ph.D. quant in an investment bank is $150K, and if you make VP which usually happens in three years, you end up making $250K. I know of astrophysics Ph.D.'s (i.e. my boss's boss's boss's boss) that are managing directors and my guess is that they make close to $1M/year.

I suppose, like Warren said, it's all about passion for the discipline. You don't have that, you might as well look some place else; but if you do, then the intellectual pleasure will be far more rewarding than any monetary benefits.

There is a balance here. Not caring enough about money can get you in as much trouble as caring too much about money. One of the big problems is that if you are willing to do something for free, people will exploit you and expect you to do things for free, and this leads to bad situations.

I'm willing to crunch PDE's for free since that's cool. However, if you want me to crunch *your* PDE's, then you have to show me the money. Also I have to eat, and there are always practical things to keep your feet on the ground.

Also research is hard sometimes brutal work. You spend hours thinking about a problem and then you leave totally exhausted, and along with moments of joy, you also end up with moments of anger and frustration. It's not the type of thing that you can reasonably expect people to do for free, and honestly I think the idea that "passion" is important is part of a conspiracy to get people to work cheap.

Remember that the word "passion" means sufferring.

The other thing is that if you enjoy intellectual puzzles, then "how do I make money?" is a pretty cool one.

 

[vhbelvadi]

This brings Einstein's words to mind:
Physics is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it!

 

[Said Harbieh]

I'm near your grade, I'm in grade(year) 10 in australia. I'm planning to do astrophysics regardless of salary. I'm doing Advanced math, bio,chem,physics, next year in high school.

In Australia, where i am currently living, the subjects you do in high school in no way affect your choices in Uni. The only thing that's important is the mark for the yr 12 HSE.

 

[jk]

AND why does a f***** doctor make more then an astrophysicist, both of them require same hard work, just different fields. Lack of people in astrophysics?...o.0

Supply and demand

 

[Nano-Passion]

This brings Einstein's words to mind:
Physics is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it!

I don't like that quote. It implies that people who do physics for a living shouldn't be able to enjoy it.

 

[twofish-quant]

Supply and demand

Also I question the premise of the statement that astrophysicists make less than doctors. Astrophysics professors and senior research scientists can make around 100-120K which is comparable to what doctors make.

The other thing is that the range is even higher if you include people that have astrophysics backgrounds. My best guess is that my boss's boss's boss's boss who has an astrophysics Ph.D. makes close to $1M/year.

We hardly find money-minded astrophysicists any day.

Let me introduce you to one... Me...

Money is not the most important thing in my life (family is), but it is important, and I've found that it's a bad idea to ignore it.

I suppose, like Warren said, it's all about passion for the discipline. You don't have that, you might as well look some place else; but if you do, then the intellectual pleasure will be far more rewarding than any monetary benefits.

No it won't. The problem is that if you don't have a steady income, you are going to be too worried about other things to have time or energy thinking about the universe.

Also it's really not an either/or situation. I'd be willing to work as a professor for a lot less money than I make right now, but the job offers aren't coming in. By contrast, it's interesting that my boss's boss's boss's boss, who makes close to $1M/year, is also a faculty member at a really big name university, and got that job after making mega-bucks.

 

[Cosmologist.]

I am also in grade 10 and I also want to study astrophysics.It is indeed a very interesting topic.i have always gotten top marks in science.

 

[pskinner892]

Hi

If you still want todo physics you could do a major in phyics and a minor in biology and then you always have the option of becoming an astrophysicist or a radiographer which is kind of like a medical doctor that likes physics.