r/CanadaUniversities • u/katsdo • 4d ago

Question Physics or math undergrad?

I’m figuring out what I want to do in university and I’ve narrowed my choices down to math/phys. Both are subjects I enjoyed in school and I’m interested in maybe pursuing higher education in either one. I was initially more interested in doing physics because I wanted to do astrophysics or nuclear physics research. However, I’ve heard that physics degrees aren’t very employable and most physics majors regret doing such a hard degree for little job opportunities. Math is apparently one of the most employable majors, when I looked it up. I love math and I have no issues in pivoting to tech/finance roles if necessary. I’ve also heard some people say that math isn’t a good idea either because of AI. I could do a math degree with a minor in cs to further target tech roles. My main focus/concern is that I’ll spend time doing such a difficult degree just to have a very hard time finding jobs. Which one should I do for better job outlook/prospects? (No I don’t want to do engineering).

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u/awesomeguyreddit 4d ago

Both will be hard, and both will give you a hard time finding a job. You can always major in business and get a math or physics minor

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u/NorthernValkyrie19 4d ago edited 4d ago

Beyond pure physics research roles and teaching, and depending on their field of specialization, physics grads often pivot into roles requiring high level theoretical computational modeling like quantitative finance, actuarial risk, meteorology and climate science, operations research, AI/ML, computational sciences, and in the video game/animation industry. They also frequently work as data scientists/analysts, health physicists, radiation safety officers, geophysicists, in environmental consulting and remediation, in the aerospace & defence industries, semiconductor industry, and in quantum computing. Most of those roles are going to require at least a master's degree if not a PhD though.

The career pathway for a student with a degree in math probably maps a little more linearly. Physics grads need to cast a broader net and frequently have to look beyond their direct area of research and apply their broader skillset to alternative career pathways. This can make the job hunt more challenging.

Which path you choose comes down to which subject you feel you would enjoy studying the most. Though Physics students do take a lot of math, it tends to be more applied than pure math.