Physical Sciences Jobs in the Federal Government

Many physical sciences jobs are considered Mission Critical Occupations (MCO) by the U.S Office of Personnel Management. What does this mean for you? If you are a science or technology major it means that there are lots of opportunities for you in the federal government! But why should science and technology majors choose the federal government?

It's intellectually challenging
The federal government supports independence and creativity
You get the ability to make a difference
You'll be able to try different jobs, grow professionally and pay for school

Jason, a recent grad working at NASA, describes his job working for the federal government as “more in the driver’s seat” than what his experience was like working in the private sector. He notes, "There's simply more flexibility and choice." Jason started out as a private contractor for the government, waiting for a full-time government job to open up. He says persistence pays off, "it does take some time to get a federal job, but it’s worth it."

Another young fed, Theresa, jumped into a permanent position at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) after taking part in the two-year Nuclear Safety Development Program for entry-level employees. Make sure you look for entry-level programs throughout agencies. For example, there's a similar program that offers rotational assignments to young feds at the National Science Foundation. In addition, many agencies pay to attend advanced degree classes during the day, while still working for an agency. Theresa notes, "student loan repayment is a common benefit at agencies and it makes a really big difference when you think about being able to get out of debt and what you are actually earning, because the amount is way more than your paycheck."

Job Profiles

Here are examples of recent job openings. Explore more and apply now at USAJOBS.

Chemist at the Department of Agriculture

Salary Range: $41,772 - $54,300 per year
Duty Locations: Washington, D.C.
Job Summary: At the Department of Agriculture, find solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day, from field to table.
Major Duties: Perform analytical chemistry activities including sample measurement, preliminary data analysis, and quality control; build and maintain a 'standards' material library; maintain and operate equipment; analyze samples from plants, soils, and other materials generated by three research projects; collect, prepare and verify the integrity of data; maintain written and electronic records.

Meteorologist at the National Weather Service

Salary Range: $38,634 - $89,085 per year
Duty Locations: Monterey, CA
Job Summary: Your Career Forecast is Sunny and Bright with the National Weather Service. The NWS, the world's preeminent weather and atmospheric sciences organization, offers you an opportunity to help protect American lives and property. Since 1870, NWS has served the public by providing forecasts and hazardous weather warnings while studying the most dynamic forces of nature. Contribute your talents to this tradition.
Major Duties: Provide weather information, warnings, advisories, aviation and public forecasts to the general public and to special user groups in the WFO service area. Coordinate NWS products, warnings, and forecasts with the Senior Forecaster on duty, the Service Hydrologist, the hydro-meteorological technicians on duty, and surrounding offices.

Examples of Internships

Jet Propulsion Labs’ Cooperative Education Program (COOP) is an employment program for college undergraduates designed to give student on-the-job training as a supplement to classroom instruction. In cooperation with selected accredited colleges and universities full-time students enrolled in the program, participate in paid employment at JPL during alternating quarter/semester periods. Similar to an internship, this program provides students with real-world practical experience related to their field of study to not only enrich their education but also prepare them for a career upon graduation.
https://careerlaunch.jpl.nasa.gov/college.html

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has two programs that allow approximately 600 students (and faculty) to work at LLNL, in California, every summer. One is when the student is paid by LLNL, called the Scholars Employment Program (SEP). The second is when there is a collaboration between a university and LLNL and the student is paid by the school. This method of working at LLNL is as a Student Guest. In this second case, students should talk to their research faculty to verify whether any such collaboration exists and whether he/she can be considered.
https://jobs.llnl.gov/lljobs_html/studentfacultyf.html

DOE Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships Program (SULI) and Student Research Participation Programs
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, a major research center has opportunities for college and university undergraduate students to participate in the Laboratory's ongoing research programs. In addition to such opportunities, the U.S. Department of Energy is directly sponsoring research participation at other DOE facilities. At Argonne, college/university students may obtain research experience through the Department of Energy's Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships Program or the Student Research Participation Program. To apply for the program at Argonne or another DOE Laboratory, you must submit an application at the Department of Energy Web site for this undergraduate program usually in February for the summer program.
http://www.dep.anl.gov/p_undergrad/summer.htm

The Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have a NIST 12-week Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (SURF). The SURF program in CSTL is designed to provide hands-on research experience in chemistry, chemical engineering, and biochemistry. The deadline is usually in February. http://www.cstl.nist.gov/surf.html
There are also other NIST programs at http://surf.nist.gov/respr.htm.

National Space Grant College and Fellowship Project
A national network of college and univiersities that NASA initiated through the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, also known as Space Grant. These institutions are working to expand opportunities for Americans to understand and participate in NASA's aeronautics and space projects by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research and public outreach efforts. The Space Grant national network includes over 850 affiliates from universities, colleges, industry, museums, science centers, and state and local agencies.
Find out more about the project at http://education.nasa.gov/edprograms/national/spacegrant/home/index.html.

Federal Jobs by the Numbers

Number of Physical Sciences Positions by Field

Field	Number of Full-time and Permanent (FTP) Positions	Projecting Hirings for FY 2007-09
General Physical Science	7,612	242
Chemistry	5,675	279
Meteorology	2,973	266
Hydrology	2,442	135
Physics	2,430	91
Physical Science Technician	2,020	--
Geology	1,613	63
Hydrologic Technician	1,454	--
Cartography	873	--

Source: Fedscope 3/08
Where the Jobs Are 2007 report

Percentage of Physical Sciences Positions by Region

Source: Fedscope 03/08

Top Physical Science Agencies

Department	Number of Full-time and Permanent (FTP) Positions
Department. of Defense	8,307
Department of Interior	6,189
Department. of Commerce	5,749
Environmental Protection Agency	3,113
Department. of Agriculture	2,402
Department of Health and Human Services	2,119
NASA	943
Department of Energy	836

Source: Fedscope 3/08