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Physical Sciences at Northern Illinois University

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Physical Sciences at Northern Illinois University

If you plan to study physical sciences, take a look at what Northern Illinois University has to offer and decide if the program is a good match for you. Get started with the following essential facts.

NIU is located in Dekalb, Illinois and approximately 16,769 students attend the school each year. Of the 3,080 students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University in 2021, 53 of them were physical sciences majors.

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.

NIU Physical Sciences Degrees Available

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

NIU Physical Sciences Rankings

The following rankings from College Factual show how the physical sciences progam at NIU 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 NIU 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
87
Most Popular Physical Sciences Schools 189

In 2021, 13 students received their master’s degree in physical sciences from NIU. This makes it the #160 most popular school for physical sciences master’s degree candidates in the country.

There were 5 students who received their doctoral degrees in physical sciences, making the school the #184 most popular school in the United States for this category of students.

Physical Sciences Student Demographics at NIU

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

NIU Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Program

40% Women
42% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
For the most recent academic year available, 60% of physical sciences bachelor's degrees went to men and 40% went to women.

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About 58% of those who receive a bachelor's degree in physical sciences at NIU are white. This is above average for this degree on the nationwide level. Prospective students may be interested in knowing that this school graduates 10% 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 Northern Illinois University with a bachelor's in physical sciences.

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Students
Asian 1
Black or African American 5
Hispanic or Latino 10
White 31
International Students 0
Other Races/Ethnicities 6

NIU Physical Sciences Master’s Program

54% Women
15% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
During the 2020-2021 academic year, 13 physical sciences majors earned their master's degree from NIU. Of these graduates, 46% were men and 54% were women.

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Of the students who received a physical sciences master's degree from NIU, 62% were white. This is above average for this degree on the natiowide level.

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

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Students
Asian 0
Black or African American 0
Hispanic or Latino 1
White 8
International Students 3
Other Races/Ethnicities 1

NIU also has a doctoral program available in physical sciences. In 2021, 5 students graduated with a doctor's degree in this field.

Concentrations Within Physical Sciences

Physical Sciences majors may want to concentrate their studies in one of these areas. The table shows all degrees awarded in this field awarded for all degree levels at Northern Illinois University. A concentration may not be available for your level.

Concentration Annual Degrees Awarded
Chemistry 44
Geological & Earth Sciences 10
Physics 9
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 8

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 IL, the home state for Northern Illinois University.

Occupation Jobs in IL Average Salary in IL
High School Teachers 43,720 $72,370
Architectural and Engineering Managers 9,760 $136,270
Professors 3,040 $66,970
Chemists 2,870 $74,770
Natural Sciences Managers 1,950 $118,480

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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