by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2024, College Factual analyzed 239 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 30,906 bachelor's degrees in physical sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The physical sciences bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality physical sciences program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for physical sciences students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in physical sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Stanford University is a good decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in physical sciences. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Stanford University
It's hard to beat University of Chicago if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Chicago
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in physical sciences needs to check out Northwestern University. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Northwestern University
University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in physical sciences. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Berkeley
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - San Diego
Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Cornell University
Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Texas A&M University - College Station
Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from The University of Texas at Austin
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Irvine
UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Maryland - College Park
Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Davis
Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Notre Dame
UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Located in the large suburb of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Massachusetts Amherst
Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Emory University
Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Virginia - Main Campus
U-M is a very large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the city of West Lafayette.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Purdue University - Main Campus
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | New York University | New York, NY |
| 37 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 38 | University of Rochester | Rochester, NY |
| 39 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 40 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 41 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 42 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 43 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago, IL |
| 44 | Williams College | Williamstown, MA |
| 45 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Troy, NY |
| 46 | University of Florida | Gainesville, FL |
| 47 | University of California - Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, CA |
View the Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 14,951 |
| Physics | 8,290 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 5,119 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 979 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 755 |
| General Physical Sciences | 320 |
| Other Physical Science | 274 |
| Materials Sciences | 203 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 15 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 137,084 |
| Engineering | 128,368 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 32,021 |
| Agriculture & Agriculture Operations | 22,108 |
| Natural Resources & Conservation | 21,743 |
| Engineering Technologies | 18,886 |
| Architecture & Related Services | 9,454 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 1,560 |
| Science Technologies / Technicians | 532 |
