Some graduates in physics earning €100,000-plus

One-in-seven physics graduates is earning more than €100,000 a year, according to a new report.

They tend to start at a higher salary than many other graduates and continue on a lucrative career path.

More than a quarter earn between €60,000 and €100,000 a year and three in four are living in Ireland

The graduates covered in the survey ranged in age from their early 20s and about half were aged 40 or below. One-third had received their qualification since 2001.

Many take a job in the science area or in research and development, which attracts the highest starting salaries for all graduates, at an average of €38,000.

This compares with about €26,000 for graduates employed in the banking, insurance and financial services sectors.

Education is the most popular employment area over their career, with four-in-10 graduates working either in second-level schools or third-level colleges.

But they are working across a wide spectrum from hi-tech industries such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices, to the media and the arts.

The report, done for the Institute of Physics in Ireland, is aimed at promoting a qualification in physics as a passport to a rewarding career.

Although two-thirds of the graduates are male, an increasing number of women are pursuing a career in physics.

- Katherine Donnelly

Irish Independent