How do Physics students navigate their career development?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi41.1579

Keywords:

employability, physics, careers, skills, curriculum, decision-making

Abstract

Balancing employability skills development with core content is challenging for content‑heavy degrees like Physics but can be supported through adapted teaching methods and structured employability activities such as careers fairs, societies, and industrial placements. This study draws on quantitative and open‑text analysis of survey responses from 185 physics students across five UK universities to evaluate the collaborative initiative called the White Rose Industrial Physics Academy (WRIPA). Many students believed a Physics degree would enhance their career prospects and could clearly identify skills gained, particularly in problem‑solving, programming, and data analysis. Those completing industrial placements or internships reported fewer concerns about their preparedness for employment, suggesting both academic progression and work experience strengthen confidence in future careers. Nonetheless, students continued to face barriers when engaging with employers, frequently citing limited time, lack of feedback, and frustration during job applications.

Author Biographies

Samantha Pugh, University of Leeds

Samantha Pugh is a Professor of STEM Higher Education and the Institutional Academic Lead for Artificial Intelligence at the University of Leeds. She is a National Teaching Fellow since 2017 and was awarded University Student Education Fellowships in 2010, 2012 and 2017.  In addition, she is a founding member of the Teaching and Learning Enhancement NeTwork (TALENT) at Leeds, who won a national Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence in 2024. She is a member of the Future Talent Council and a series editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Professional Development books.

Alison Voice, University of Leeds

Alison Voice is Professor of Physics Education in the School of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Leeds. She is founder and head of their Physics Education Research Group. Her specific research interests relate to enhancing students’ effectiveness in learning physics, supporting students in the transition to university and in preparing them for their onward journey into employment. She has created an online careers discovery tool to showcase careers related to physics and embeds professional skills within the curriculum, to enhance students’ preparedness for employment. Alison is a National Teaching Fellow and Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA).

Sinead D'Silva, University of Leeds

Sinead D’Silva is a precarious Early Career social researcher (betwixt human geography and sociology) interested in the entanglements of youth futures, education and work in society, social justice action, and relationship with place. They adopt a critical approach to the ways in which state and market converge to create narratives of futures articulated in disconnection from those whose lives it impacts. Sinead is particularly biased towards the stories people share from their lived experiences.

Matthew Murphy, University of Leeds

Matthew Murphy was an undergraduate Physics Student at the University of Leeds who has now graduated and left academia behind. As a physics student with little interest in pursuing academia, Matt’s dissertation focused on how Physics degrees assist with career development to ensure that students feel confident navigating their career options throughout their degree. This involved lots of data analysis, which was another of Matt’s key interests.

References

Ball, C. (2023). Graduate labour market update: ‘Cautious optimism’. Prospects Luminate. https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/graduate-labour-market-update-cautious-optimism

Benson, V., Hirst, A. M., & Wakeham, W. (2023, January 3). Building a Physics degree for the future: Five key questions we need to answer. Physics World. https://physicsworld.com/a/building-a-physics-degree-for-the-future-five-key-questions-we-need-to-answer/

Boden, R., & Nedeva, M. (2010). Employing discourse: Universities and graduate ‘employability’. Journal of Education Policy, 25(1), 37–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680930903349489

Brooks, R. (2012). Valuing the human asset - the impact of university placements on academic performance and graduate employment amongst management students. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 364, Article 012103. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/364/1/012103

Crilly, E. A. M. (2021). Determination of a set of cognitive, procedural and learning competences owned by qualified physicists [Doctoral dissertation, University of Leeds]. White Rose eTheses Online. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/29833/

D'Silva, S. M. (2019). The paradox of ‘developing’ employability: A study of physics students’ engagement with their graduate prospects [Doctoral dissertation, University of Leeds]. White Rose eTheses Online. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/24861/

D'Silva, S. M., & Pugh, S. (2020, January). Understanding the factors that can influence student career decision making. Prospects Luminate. https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/understanding-the-factors-that-can-influence-student-career-decision-making

D’Silva, S. M., & Pugh, S. L. (2021). The role of emotional geography in graduate transitions from higher education in England. Social & Cultural Geography, 24(5), 814–830. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649365.2021.1975163

Field, A. P. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). SAGE.

Gomez, S., Lush, D., & Clements, M. (2004). Work placements enhance the academic performance of bioscience undergraduates. Journal of Vocational Education & Training, 56(3), 373–385. https://doi.org/10.1080/13636820400200260

Gracia, L., & Jenkins, E. (2003). A quantitative exploration of student performance on an undergraduate accounting programme of study. Accounting Education,12(1), 15–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/0963928032000049375

Greaves, L. (2024). What do graduates do? 2024/25. Prospects Luminate. https://graduatemarkettrends.cdn.prismic.io/graduatemarkettrends/Z0Sn968jQArT1SXd_what-do-graduates-do-202425.pdf

Hirst, A. (2018, October 25). The (un)employability of physics graduates in technical careers. National Centre for Universities and Business. https://www.ncub.co.uk/insight/the-unemployability-of-physics-graduates-in-technical-careers/

Hirst, A., & Benson, V. (2019, October 10). There’s no place like home. Physics World. https://physicsworld.com/a/theres-no-place-like-home/

HM Government. (2022). Levelling up the United Kingdom [White paper]. Crown. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62e7a429d3bf7f75af0923f3/Executive_Summary.pdf

Institute of Physics. (2021). Physics students in UK universities. https://www.iop.org/sites/default/files/2021-12/Physics-Students-in-UK-Universities-HESA-Data-Brief.pdf

Institute of Physics. (2022). Degree accreditation framework: Principles and key expectations. https://www.iop.org/sites/default/files/2022-09/IOP-Degree-Accreditation-Framework-July-2022.pdf

Jackson, D., & Tomlinson, M. (2020). Investigating the relationship between career planning, proactivity and employability perceptions among higher education students in uncertain labour market conditions. Higher Education, 80(3), 435–455. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00490-5

Jones C. M., Green J. P., & Higson, H. E. (2017). Do work placements improve final year academic performance or do high-calibre students choose to do work placements? Studies in Higher Education, 42(6), 976–992. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1073249

Mason, G., Williams, G., & Cranmer, S. (2009). Employability skills initiatives in higher education: What effects do they have on graduate labour market outcomes? Education Economics, 17(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/09645290802028315

McNeil, L., & Heron, P. (2017). Preparing Physics students for 21st-century careers. Physics Today, 70(11), 38–43. https://doi.org/10.1063/PT.3.3763

Office for National Statistics. (n.d.). Measuring equality: A guide for the collection and classification of ethnic group, national identity and religion data in the UK. https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/measuringequality/ethnicgroupnationalidentityandreligion

Office for National Statistics. (2019, November 25). ONS postcode directory for the UK. https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/9c7aae784acd420db7a215947976d4aa/about

Office for National Statistics. (2021, November 25). Ward to local authority district (December 2021) lookup in the United Kingdom. https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/documents/6a87d7b7abf548178c743c2cbaa7297e/about

Quinlan, K. M., & Renninger, K. A. (2022). Rethinking employability: How students build on interest in a subject to plan a career. Higher Education, 84, 863–883. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-021-00804-6

Rawlings, P., White, P., & Stephens, R. (2005). Practice-based learning in information systems: The advantages for students. Journal of Information Systems Education, 16(4), 455–464. https://jise.org/volume16/n4/JISEv16n4p455.html

Reddy, P., & Moores, E. (2006). Measuring the benefits of a Psychology placement year. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31(5), 551–567. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930600679555

Smith, W. G. (2008). Does gender influence online survey participation? A record-linkage analysis of university faculty online survey response behavior [Doctoral dissertation, San José State University]. SJSU ScholarWorks. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1003&context=elementary_ed_pub

Surridge, I. (2009). Accounting and finance degrees: Is the academic performance of Placement Students Better? Accounting Education, 18(4–5), 471–485. https://doi.org/10.1080/09639280802008498

Tomlinson, M. (2008). ‘The degree is not enough’: Students’ perceptions of the role of higher education credentials for graduate work and employability. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29(1), 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425690701737457

Veine, S., Anderson, M. K., Andersen, N. H., Espenes, T. C., Søyland, T. B., Wallin, P., & Reams, J. (2019). Reflection as a core student learning activity in higher education - Insights from nearly two decades of academic development. International Journal for Academic Development, 25(2), 147–161. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360144X.2019.1659797

Wiedner, J. (2024). Under-or overexpansion of education? Trends in qualification mismatch in the United Kingdom and Germany, 1984–2017. Social Science Research, 117, Article 102948. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2023.102948

Wickramasinghe, V., & Perera, L. (2010). Graduates’, university lecturers’ and employers’ perceptions towards employability skills. Education & Training, 52(3), 226–244. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911011037355

WRIPA. (n.d.). White Rose Industrial Physics Academy. https://wripa.ac.uk/

Downloads

Published

30-09-2026

How to Cite

Pugh, S., Voice, A., D’Silva, S., & Murphy, M. (2026). How do Physics students navigate their career development?. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (41). https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi41.1579

Issue

No. 41 (2026)

Section

Papers

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).