Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Physics Bachelor's Degree

Physics Bachelor’s Degrees

There are 812 colleges and universities across the nation that offer abachelor’s degree in Physics. In recent years, the majority of students earning degrees in this area were men, and about33% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 11.5% of Physics graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Physics Majors

During the most recent year for which data is available, 12,910 people earned theirPhysics majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Physics at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Associate’s Degree 1,493
Bachelor’s Degree (this page) 7,123
Master’s Degree 2,380
Doctor’s Degree 1,914

Earnings of Physics Majors With Bachelor’s Degrees (All Award Levels)

The U.S. Department of Education reports a median salary for graduates with abachelor’s degree in Physics of $75,002 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

This number may vary for many reasons. For instance, you may move to a location where people with your degree are rare and make more money.

Years After Graduation Median Earnings
1 year $50,456
4 years $75,002
5 years $86,291

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker (program-wide, all award levels).

Student Debt (All Award Levels)

We do not have the data to estimate the median debt for graduates with this degree.

Student Diversity

More men than women pursue bachelor’s degrees in Physics. About 74.5% of graduates in this field are men.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 5,304
Women 1,819
Gender Diversity of Bachelor's Degrees in Physics

The racial-ethnic distribution of Physics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 3,929 55.2%
Asian 654 9.2%
Hispanic or Latino 895 12.6%
Black or African American 230 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 11 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 3 0.0%
Two or More Races 370 5.2%
Race Unknown 212 3.0%
International Students 819 11.5%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Physics Bachelor's Degree Students

This degree is very popular with international students. Around 11.5% of graduates are in this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

There are 959 colleges that offer a bachelor’s degree in Physics. Learn more about the most popular below:

The most popular school in the United States for Physics students seeking a bachelor's degree is University of California-Santa Barbara. During the most recent year for which we have data, 213 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Berkeley comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 174 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#3

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ

University of Arizona comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 166 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 166 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#5

New York University

New York, NY

New York University comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 157 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Colorado Boulder comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 152 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Los Angeles comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 150 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

The University of Texas at Austin is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 133 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Wisconsin-Madison comes in at #9 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 128 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#10

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 121 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Ohio State University-Main Campus is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 120 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 120 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-San Diego is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 117 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#14

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 113 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#15

University of Rochester

Rochester, NY

University of Rochester is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 113 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 111 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Maryland-College Park is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 110 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their bachelor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#18

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 109 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology comes in at #19 on our list of the most popular colleges offering bachelor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 102 people received their bachelor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Irvine is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their bachelor's degree. This school awarded 98 bachelor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Physics Focus Areas

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Physics, General 11,944
Physics, Other 482
Optics/Optical Sciences 249
Acoustics 175
Theoretical and Mathematical Physics 37

Below are some popular majors similar to Physics that also offer bachelor’s degrees.

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Chemistry 19,434
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences 7,622
Physical Sciences, General 2,661
Astronomy and Astrophysics 1,580
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology 1,341

References

The racial-ethnic minority student 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 to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Find Graduate Schools Near You

Our school finder matches students with accredited graduate schools across the U.S. for free.