Physical Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara

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 University of California - Santa Barbara stacks up to those at other schools.

UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and approximately 26,179 students attend the school each year. Of the 7,001 students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree from University of California - Santa Barbara in 2021, 296 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.

UCSB Physical Sciences Degrees Available

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

UCSB Physical Sciences Rankings

Each year, College Factual ranks physical sciences programs across the country. The following shows how UCSB performed in these rankings.

Note: Rankings don't always give a complete picture of a school's strengths and weaknesses, so it's a good idea to extend your research and also look at other factors when trying to decide if the school is right for you.

Bachelor’s Degree Overall Quality & Other Notable Rankings

The physical sciences major at UCSB 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
Best Physical Sciences Schools	12
Best Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools	16
	52
Best Value Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools	148

In 2021, 49 students received their master’s degree in physical sciences from UCSB. This makes it the #35 most popular school for physical sciences master’s degree candidates in the country.

There were 55 students who received their doctoral degrees in physical sciences, making the school the #30 most popular school in the United States for this category of students.

Physical Sciences Student Demographics at UCSB

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

UCSB Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 296 students graduated with a bachelor's degree in physical sciences from UCSB. About 69% were men and 31% were women.

Prospective students may be interested in knowing that this school graduates 9% 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 University of California - Santa Barbara with a bachelor's in physical sciences.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	47
Black or African American	3
Hispanic or Latino	51
White	97
International Students	64
Other Races/Ethnicities	34

UCSB Physical Sciences Master’s Program

During the 2020-2021 academic year, 49 physical sciences majors earned their master's degree from UCSB. Of these graduates, 73% were men and 27% were women.

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Students
Asian	3
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	4
White	23
International Students	17
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

UCSB also has a doctoral program available in physical sciences. In 2021, 55 students graduated with a doctor's degree in this field.

Concentrations Within Physical Sciences

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

Concentration	Annual Degrees Awarded
Physics	199
Chemistry	126
Geological & Earth Sciences	53
Materials Sciences	22

Related Majors

• Computer & Information Sciences
• Engineering
• Natural Resources & Conservation
• Mathematics & Statistics
• Biological & Biomedical Sciences

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 CA, the home state for University of California - Santa Barbara.

Occupation	Jobs in CA	Average Salary in CA
High School Teachers	112,960	$80,510
Architectural and Engineering Managers	31,580	$175,010
Environmental Scientists and Specialists	12,750	$91,890
Chemists	10,430	$88,570
Natural Sciences Managers	7,870	$168,790

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 Nandaro under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.