2023 Most Popular Physics Master's Degree Schools in California
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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Physics Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 22 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular master's degree programs 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 Master’s Degree Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Physics Master's Degree Colleges.
Top 10 Most Popular Physics Master's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of California - Santa Barbara to be the most popular school for physics students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 19% of the physics majors at the school.
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The in-demand master’s degree programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular physics schools in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
About 24% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 76% are male.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for physics students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Physics at University of California - Los Angeles Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Physics Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.
About 29% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 71% are male.
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The in-demand master’s degree programs at University of California - Riverside helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular physics schools in California. Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public college with a very large student population.
About 12% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 88% are male.
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With a ranking of #6, Stanford University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their master’s degree. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
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University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular master’s degree physics programs. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school located in the city of Santa Cruz.
Of the 14 students majoring in physics at UC Santa Cruz, 71% are male and 29% are female.
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University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for physics students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a very large student population.
Women make up 21% of the physics majors at the school.
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San Francisco State University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Master’s Degree Schools in California list. SFSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Francisco.
About 31% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 69% are male.
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California State University - Northridge ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Master’s Degree Schools in California list. CSUN is a very large public school located in the large city of Northridge.
Of the 13 students majoring in physics at CSUN, 69% are male and 31% are female.
Full Physics at California State University - Northridge Report
Request InformationBest Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Most Popular 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 |
Physics Related Majors
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 22 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.