What Career Options Will I Have with this Degree?

The opportunities for high-level research in our undergraduate programs often lead students to discover new areas of research that they want to pursue. Students may discover research topics through a professor and mentor, or they may proactively seek out a faculty mentor with extensive knowledge in a specific field. All of these avenues open up a wide vista of opportunity as the student reaches graduation. There may be so many options, a student has tough choices to make.

Here's one student's story:

Physics nano microscope
At the end of the 2011 school year, Rose-Hulman Physics and Optical Engineering student Lauren Wuertemberger had a dilemma.

With both a job offer and an acceptance to graduate school, she was unsure which future was the best option for her to take after graduating.
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Physics nano-research

Lauren drew attention, not only for her stellar school record, but also the directed research she conducted under Dr. Michael McInerney.

Through this project, Lauren was learning the art of detecting what goes wrong in very tiny computing spaces.

She used high powered microscopes as she studied Diode Characterization.
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Physics career 225

Because she really enjoyed the research and wanted to take it further, Lauren chose to attend graduate school rather than join the work force right away.

Returning to Rose-Hulman to visit the PHOE department this past Homecoming, Lauren reported that she had been assigned to an "exciting project plan" at the Air Force School of Engineering, where she is now a graduate student.

Lauren is one of the many success stories of Rose-Hulman's PHOE Department.
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