Programs Do all Physics majors solely pursue Master's/PhD's?

  • Thread starter Thread starter skwissgaar
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Physics
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the unique position of a physics major aspiring to teach at the high school or community college level, highlighting a perceived lack of peers with similar ambitions. The conversation emphasizes the importance of passionate educators in the sciences, particularly in physics, where teaching can be overshadowed by more lucrative career paths in other fields. It acknowledges the existence of specialized physics education degrees aimed at preparing teachers, suggesting that without such programs, the quality of high school physics instruction could suffer. The need for dedicated science teachers is underscored, with a recognition of the challenges in attracting talent to the teaching profession due to financial competition from other sectors.
skwissgaar
Messages
21
Reaction score
0
Because I feel like the only physics major pursuing the education of science. Out of all the fellow physics/engineering majors at my school, I am the only one with aspirations of teaching at the high school/CC level. Are there any expirenced science majors here that have similar aspirations and/or are already in the teaching professions with degrees in the sciences?

I'm not talking about tenured PhD science professors with emphases in research, I'm more so directing this to the high school/CC/Uni. educators who teach because it is their passion.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Definitely. There are multiple schools at which physics education (a major designed for teaching at the high school) is a separate degree. Wouldn't be any intelligent physics teachers at high school if such conditions existed.
 
Hey skwissgaar and welcome to the forums.

People like you are really needed: getting quality teachers in the sciences can be really hard when you have other fields offering more remuneration and competing for the same minds.
 
I’ve been looking through the curricula of several European theoretical/mathematical physics MSc programs (ETH, Oxford, Cambridge, LMU, ENS Paris, etc), and I’m struck by how little emphasis they place on advanced fundamental courses. Nearly everything seems to be research-adjacent: string theory, quantum field theory, quantum optics, cosmology, soft matter physics, black hole radiation, etc. What I don’t see are the kinds of “second-pass fundamentals” I was hoping for, things like...
TL;DR Summary: I want to do a PhD in applied math but I hate group theory, is this a big problem? Hello, I am a second-year math and physics double major with a minor in data science. I just finished group theory (today actually), and it was my least favorite class in all of university so far. It doesn't interest me, and I am also very bad at it compared to other math courses I have done. The other courses I have done are calculus I-III, ODEs, Linear Algebra, and Prob/Stats. Is it a...

Similar threads

Back
Top