I think we should recognize that the typical physics curriculum in the US has room for improvement. The APS and AAPT formed a joint task force to look at this issue, and in its report, the task force wrote:
Both graduates and their employers report that physics graduates could be better prepared for positions available to those with physics training. This is equally true for recipients of Ph.D. degrees in physics, almost half of whom occupy positions outside academia one year after receiving their degrees, and more of whom move to private-sector or government positions after completing a postdoc.
and
It is worth restating that 95% of undergraduate physics students will not become physics professors. As a profession we cannot afford to ignore the needs of 95% of our undergraduate students, if we expect an education in physics to remain relevant in the 21st century. While there will always be a cohort of students who are drawn to physics purely because of its intellectual attractions and its roots in basic research, physics departments cannot in good conscience neglect their responsibility to provide the best possible preparation for all students.
You can download the report from here:
http://www.compadre.org/jtupp/