Laboratory courses and the professional preparation of physics majors

Embracing career preparation as a goal of lab courses is one way to advocate for the maintenance and expansion of labs in the curriculum. If labs are seen as primarily supporting students’ conceptual understanding they are in danger of being replaced by virtual simulations optimized for teaching concepts. If labs are viewed as training grounds for the professional preparation of students as they pursue a range of STEM careers, labs become indispensable in the education of physics majors. Drawing from multiple studies of practicing researchers and engineers as well as PER on laboratory courses, labs will be shown to support both the technical competencies (e.g., measurement, data analysis, troubleshooting, design, modeling) and the "soft" competencies (e.g., teamwork, oral communication, documentation, self-directed learning) that are important for professional success. I will suggest ways in which lab courses can best utilize the unique features of the lab environment to explicitly and visibly support students’ professional preparation.