2023 Best Value Physics Master's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Physics Master's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 3,218 degrees and certificates were awarded to physics students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #40 most popular major in the state.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Value Physics Master's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 16 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for physics students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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2023 Best Value Physics Master’s Degree Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for physics majors pursuing a master's degree.
Top 10 Best Physics Master's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Long Beach the best value school in California for physics students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at CSULB are $8,280 per year.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means San Diego State University is a great value for physics students working on their master’s degree. SDSU is a very large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at SDSU are $9,570 a year.
The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - Santa Barbara helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value physics schools in California. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.
UCSB graduate students pay an average of $13,581 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Full Physics at University of California - Santa Barbara Report
The excellent master’s degree programs at California State University - Fullerton helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value physics schools in California. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $8,410 per year.
The excellent master’s degree programs at California State University - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value physics schools in California. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Cal State LA graduate students pay an average of $8,219 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree physics programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UCLA are $13,036 a year.
UCLA also took the #4 spot in our Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools in California rankings.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Los Angeles
California State University - Northridge ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physics Master’s Degree Schools in California list. CSUN is a fairly large public school located in the city of Northridge.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at CSUN are $8,477 a year.
With a ranking of #8, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UC Berkeley are $14,160 a year.
UC Berkeley did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
University of California - Merced landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree physics programs. UC Merced is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Merced.
UC Merced graduate students pay an average of $13,207 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
University of California - Irvine ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physics Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UC Irvine are $13,356 per year.
Best Value Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 392 |
| Oregon | 187 |
| Nevada | 50 |
| Hawaii | 10 |
| Alaska | 4 |
More Physics Rankings in California
Physics Related Majors for Physics
One of 8 majors within the area of study, physics has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Physics
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 7,821 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 16 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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