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Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools

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2023 Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools

1,192 Colleges
$36,876 Avg Salary
$22,933 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree School for You

Physical Sciences is the #19 most popular major in the country with 50,306 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 1,192 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Physical Sciences program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Our analysis found University of Washington - Seattle Campus to be the most popular school for physical sciences students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. UW Seattle is a fairly large public school located in the city of Seattle.

About 33% of the students majoring in physical sciences at the school are women while 67% are male.

Read More…

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of California - San Diego is a great place for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Women make up 47% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

Full Physical Sciences at University of California - San Diego Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 357 students majoring in physical sciences at UC Berkeley, 60% are male and 40% are female.

Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Berkeley Report

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at University of California - Santa Barbara helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular physical sciences schools in the United States. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 296 students majoring in physical sciences at UCSB, 69% are male and 31% are female.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of California - Santa Cruz is a great place for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. UC Santa Cruz is a large public school located in the city of Santa Cruz.

About 34% of the students majoring in physical sciences at the school are women while 66% are male.

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The University of Texas at Austin landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree physical sciences programs. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 44% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

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University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for physical sciences students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 44% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Irvine

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 252 students majoring in physical sciences at UIUC, 61% are male and 39% are female.

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University of Colorado Boulder ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. CU - Boulder is a fairly large public school located in the city of Boulder.

Of the 241 students majoring in physical sciences at CU - Boulder, 66% are male and 34% are female.

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#10

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Gainesville, UF is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 229 students majoring in physical sciences at UF, 60% are male and 40% are female.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Florida

With a ranking of #11, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a very large student population.

Women make up 46% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

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University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public school located in the city of Minneapolis.

Women make up 33% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

Full Physical Sciences at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a very large student population.

About 35% of the students majoring in physical sciences at the school are women while 65% are male.

Full Physical Sciences at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

With a ranking of #14, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

About 37% of the students majoring in physical sciences at the school are women while 63% are male.

Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles Report

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the midsize city of College Station.

Of the 190 students majoring in physical sciences at Texas A&M College Station, 59% are male and 41% are female.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Texas A&M University - College Station

With a ranking of #16, Ohio State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 189 students majoring in physical sciences at Ohio State, 73% are male and 27% are female.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Ohio State University - Main Campus

#17

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ

University of Arizona came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. University of Arizona is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Tucson.

Women make up 34% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

Full Physical Sciences at University of Arizona Report

University of Maryland - College Park landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree physical sciences programs. UMCP is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of College Park.

Women make up 36% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

Full Physical Sciences at University of Maryland - College Park Report

#19

Stony Brook University

Stony Brook, NY

With a ranking of #19, Stony Brook University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Stony Brook, SUNY Stony Brook is a public college with a very large student population.

About 41% of the students majoring in physical sciences at the school are women while 59% are male.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Stony Brook University

#20

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, VA

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. University of Virginia is a very large public school located in the small suburb of Charlottesville.

Women make up 44% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Virginia - Main Campus

University of California - Davis ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.

Women make up 44% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

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Arizona State University - Tempe came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 49% of the physical sciences majors at the school.

Full Physical Sciences at Arizona State University - Tempe Report

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree physical sciences programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 167 students majoring in physical sciences at U-M, 58% are male and 42% are female.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

#23

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for physical sciences students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 167 students majoring in physical sciences at Purdue, 60% are male and 40% are female.

Read More…

#25

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT

With a ranking of #25, University of Utah did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physical sciences students working on their bachelor’s degree. U of U is a very large public school located in the city of Salt Lake City.

Of the 164 students majoring in physical sciences at U of U, 61% are male and 39% are female.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Utah

#26

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL
#30

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA
#31

Hunter College

New York, NY
#34

Mississippi State University

Mississippi State, MS
#36

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
#37

Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR
#37

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI
#40

Cornell University

Ithaca, NY
#41

Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA
#43

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, AZ
#43

Binghamton University

Vestal, NY
#45

SUNY Empire State College

Saratoga Springs, NY
#45

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY
#49

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 1192 different United States physical sciences schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
52 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
53 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
53 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
55 United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD
55 University of Houston Houston, TX
55 Emory University Atlanta, GA
58 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
59 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
60 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
61 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
62 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
63 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
63 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
65 Harvard University Cambridge, MA
66 New York University New York, NY
67 Montana State University Bozeman, MT
67 Towson University Towson, MD
67 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
70 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
71 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
71 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
73 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
74 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
75 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
76 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
77 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
77 Iowa State University Ames, IA
77 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
80 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
81 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
81 Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH
81 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
84 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
84 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
86 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
87 University of California - Merced Merced, CA
87 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
89 Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA
90 Stanford University Stanford, CA
90 Princeton University Princeton, NJ
90 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY
93 University of Delaware Newark, DE
93 University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez Mayaguez, PR
93 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
96 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
96 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
96 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
96 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
100 University of Georgia Athens, GA
100 Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH
102 University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL
102 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
102 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
105 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
105 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
107 Villanova University Villanova, PA
107 The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson, TX
109 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
109 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
111 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
111 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
111 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
114 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
114 Williams College Williamstown, MA
114 The Graduate Center, CUNY New York, NY
114 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
118 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
118 Wesleyan University Middletown, CT
118 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
118 Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus Atlanta, GA
118 University of North Texas Denton, TX
118 Boston University Boston, MA
124 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
124 Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, MI
124 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
124 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
124 Carleton College Northfield, MN
129 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
129 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
129 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
129 Boise State University Boise, ID
129 Duke University Durham, NC
129 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
135 Haverford College Haverford, PA
135 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
135 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
138 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
138 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
140 Brown University Providence, RI
140 Portland State University Portland, OR
142 Humboldt State University Arcata, CA
142 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
142 SUNY Geneseo Geneseo, NY
145 University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
145 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
145 University at Albany Albany, NY
145 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
145 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
150 Clemson University Clemson, SC
150 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
150 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
150 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
154 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
154 Rice University Houston, TX
154 University of Mary Washington Fredericksburg, VA
154 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
154 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
154 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
160 Northeastern University Boston, MA
160 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
160 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
160 University of Mississippi University, MS
160 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
160 University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras San Juan, PR
166 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
166 College of Charleston Charleston, SC
166 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
166 Lehman College Bronx, NY
166 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
171 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY
171 Yale University New Haven, CT
171 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
171 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
171 SUNY Oswego Oswego, NY
171 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
171 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA
171 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Physical Sciences students that almost earned our Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
179 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
179 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
181 Whitman College Walla Walla, WA
181 Florida Institute of Technology Melbourne, FL
183 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
183 Auburn University Auburn, AL
183 Smith College Northampton, MA
183 Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
183 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
183 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
189 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
189 Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN
189 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
189 Bates College Lewiston, ME
189 Dartmouth College Hanover, NH
189 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA
189 University of Puerto Rico - Humacao Humacao, PR
196 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
196 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
196 Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT
199 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
199 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
199 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
199 Illinois State University Normal, IL
199 Colby College Waterville, ME
199 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
199 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
199 Wellesley College Wellesley, MA
207 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
207 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
209 Ball State University Muncie, IN
210 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
210 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
210 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
213 Creighton University Omaha, NE
213 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
213 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
213 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
213 Hamilton College Clinton, NY
213 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
213 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
220 Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla, MO
220 Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA
220 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
220 Tennessee Technological University Cookeville, TN
220 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
220 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
226 Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA
226 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
226 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
226 The City College of New York New York, NY
226 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
226 Middlebury College Middlebury, VT
226 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
226 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
226 The College at Brockport Brockport, NY
235 Reed College Portland, OR
235 Wright State University - Main Campus Dayton, OH
235 Butler University Indianapolis, IN
235 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
235 Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN
235 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS
235 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
235 University of West Georgia Carrollton, GA
235 Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX
235 Xavier University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
235 Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY
235 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
235 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
235 University of Idaho Moscow, ID
235 Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO

Physical Sciences by Region

View the Most Popular Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 21,239
Physics 13,674
Geological & Earth Sciences 7,821
General Physical Sciences 3,823
Astronomy & Astrophysics 1,375
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 1,140
Materials Sciences 658
Other Physical Science 538
Physics and Astronomy 38

Related Major Annual Graduates
Computer & Information Sciences 254,454
Engineering 198,468
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 177,778
Engineering Technologies 85,188
Mathematics & Statistics 52,396

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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 NASA.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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