Physical Sciences at Harvard University

Every physical sciences school has its own distinct culture and strengths. We've pulled together some statistics and other details to help you see how the physical sciences program at Harvard University stacks up to those at other schools.

Harvard is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and approximately 30,391 students attend the school each year. In 2021, 96 physical sciences majors received their bachelor's degree from Harvard.

Want to know more about the career opportunities in this field? Check out the Careers in Physical Sciences section at the bottom of this page.

Harvard Physical Sciences Degrees Available

• Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Sciences
• Master’s Degree in Physical Sciences
• Doctorate Degree in Physical Sciences

Harvard Physical Sciences Rankings

The following rankings from College Factual show how the physical sciences progam at Harvard compares to programs at other colleges and universities.

Note: Although rankings can help you see some information about a school, it's not a good idea to depend on them alone. Be sure to check out other things about the school before making your decision to attend.

Bachelor’s Degree Overall Quality & Other Notable Rankings

The physical sciences major at Harvard is not ranked on College Factual’s Best Colleges and Universities for Physical Sciences. This could be for a number of reasons, such as not having enough data on the major or school to make an accurate assessment of its quality.

Ranking Type	Rank
Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools	65

In 2021, 53 students received their master’s degree in physical sciences from Harvard. This makes it the #34 most popular school for physical sciences master’s degree candidates in the country.

There were 81 students who received their doctoral degrees in physical sciences, making the school the #12 most popular school in the United States for this category of students.

Physical Sciences Student Demographics at Harvard

Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the physical sciences majors at Harvard University.

Harvard Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 96 students graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical sciences from Harvard. About 61% were men and 39% were women.

Prospective students may be interested in knowing that this school graduates 18% more racial-ethnic minorities in its physical sciences bachelor's program than the national average.*

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor's in physical sciences.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	27
Black or African American	4
Hispanic or Latino	10
White	33
International Students	12
Other Races/Ethnicities	10

Harvard Physical Sciences Master’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 53 students graduated with a master's degree in physical sciences from Harvard. About 74% were men and 26% were women.

The following table and chart show the race/ethnicity for students who recently graduated from Harvard University with a master's in physical sciences.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	4
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	4
White	18
International Students	24
Other Races/Ethnicities	3

Harvard also has a doctoral program available in physical sciences. In 2021, 81 students graduated with a doctor's degree in this field.

Concentrations Within Physical Sciences

The following physical sciences concentations are available at Harvard University. The table shows all degrees awarded in this field awarded for all degree levels at Harvard University. A concentration may not be available for your level.

Concentration	Annual Degrees Awarded
Physics	107
Chemistry	85
Astronomy & Astrophysics	38

Related Majors

• Engineering Technologies
• Architecture & Related Services
• Mathematics & Statistics
• Natural Resources & Conservation
• Engineering

Careers That Physical Sciences Grads May Go Into

A degree in physical sciences can lead to the following careers. Since job numbers and average salaries can vary by geographic location, we have only included the numbers for MA, the home state for Harvard University.

Occupation	Jobs in MA	Average Salary in MA
High School Teachers	26,420	$80,020
Architectural and Engineering Managers	8,190	$156,250
Natural Sciences Managers	4,040	$183,490
Chemists	2,890	$94,270
Environmental Scientists and Specialists	1,950	$82,580

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• Image Credit: By Elisa.rolle under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.