2023 Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools
Finding the Best Physics Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 13,674 people earned a degree or certificate in physics, making the major the #69 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 177 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Physics program at each school on the list.
2023 Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the physics associate degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools for an Associate in Physics
Our analysis found Pasadena City College to be the most popular school for physics students who want to pursue a associate degree in the United States. Located in the midsize city of Pasadena, Pasadena City College is a public school with a very large student population.
About 27% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 73% are male.
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Out of the 177 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Irvine Valley College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, Irvine Valley College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Of the 81 students majoring in physics at Irvine Valley College, 72% are male and 28% are female.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Moorpark College is a great place for physics students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Moorpark, Moorpark College is a public college with a large student population.
Of the 69 students majoring in physics at Moorpark College, 67% are male and 33% are female.
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The in-demand associate degree programs at College of the Canyons helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular physics schools in the United States. College of the Canyons is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Santa Clarita.
About 34% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 66% are male.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Santa Barbara City College is a great place for physics students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Santa Barbara, SBCC is a public college with a large student population.
Women make up 33% of the physics majors at the school.
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El Camino College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools ranking. El Camino College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Torrance.
About 32% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 68% are male.
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Golden West College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for physics students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Golden West College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Huntington Beach.
About 34% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 66% are male.
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With a ranking of #8, Saddleback College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Mission Viejo, Saddleback College is a public school with a large student population.
Women make up 43% of the physics majors at the school.
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Norco College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Norco, Norco College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Women make up 24% of the physics majors at the school.
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Chaffey College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Rancho Cucamonga, Chaffey College is a public school with a large student population.
Women make up 28% of the physics majors at the school.
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Santiago Canyon College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for physics students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. SCC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Orange.
About 29% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 71% are male.
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With a ranking of #12, Antelope Valley College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their associate degree. Antelope Valley College is a large public school located in the large suburb of Lancaster.
Women make up 26% of the physics majors at the school.
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College of San Mateo ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools list. CSM is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of San Mateo.
Women make up 11% of the physics majors at the school.
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Los Angeles Valley College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Valley Glen, LAVC is a public school with a large student population.
Women make up 37% of the physics majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #15, Glendale Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Glendale, GCC is a public school with a large student population.
About 32% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 68% are male.
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Cypress College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Cypress, Cypress College is a public college with a large student population.
Women make up 40% of the physics majors at the school.
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With a ranking of #17, Los Angeles City College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their associate degree. Los Angeles City College is a large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
About 25% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 75% are male.
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Napa Valley College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree physics programs. Napa Valley College is a small public school located in the city of Napa.
Of the 24 students majoring in physics at Napa Valley College, 88% are male and 13% are female.
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Los Medanos College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large suburb of Pittsburg, Los Medanos is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
About 33% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 67% are male.
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Hartnell College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for physics students to get a associate degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Salinas, Hartnell College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
About 39% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 61% are male.
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Los Angeles Pierce College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree physics programs. Located in the city of Woodland Hills, Pierce College is a public school with a large student population.
About 35% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 65% are male.
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Diablo Valley College ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools list. Diablo Valley is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Pleasant Hill.
About 36% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 64% are male.
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Cerritos College ranked #22 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Norwalk, Cerritos College is a public college with a large student population.
Of the 22 students majoring in physics at Cerritos College, 64% are male and 36% are female.
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With a ranking of #22, Bakersfield College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their associate degree. Bakersfield College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bakersfield.
Of the 22 students majoring in physics at Bakersfield College, 68% are male and 32% are female.
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With a ranking of #25, Orange Coast College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Costa Mesa, Orange Coast College is a public school with a large student population.
About 43% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 57% are male.
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Request InformationHonorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | Mount Wachusett Community College | Gardner, MA |
| 30 | Oxnard College | Oxnard, CA |
| 32 | Imperial Valley College | Imperial, CA |
| 32 | Rio Hondo College | Whittier, CA |
| 32 | Cuyamaca College | El Cajon, CA |
| 32 | Reedley College | Reedley, CA |
Physics by Region
View the Most Popular Physics Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Majors Related to Physics
Physics is one of 8 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar 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 29 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.
More about our data sources and methodologies.