2023 Best Physical Sciences Schools
Finding the Best Physical Sciences School for You
In 2020-2021, 12,705 people earned a degree or certificate in physical sciences, making the major the #16 most popular in the United States.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Physical Sciences Schools ranking. This report analyzed 142 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Physical Sciences Schools in the United States
Check out the physical sciences programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Physical Sciences Schools
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for physical sciences students who want to pursue a degree in the United States. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Schools list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Northwestern University
Out of the 142 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Institute of Technology landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rochester Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Physical Sciences Schools list. Located in the suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology
The excellent programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in the United States. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Chicago
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for physical sciences students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Full Physical Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin Report
University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physical sciences programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara
Northeastern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for physical sciences students. It came in at #8 on the list. Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.
With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s best schools for physical sciences students. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a very large student population.
Wake Forest University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physical sciences programs. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Cornell University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physical sciences programs. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physical sciences programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
With a ranking of #13, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on this year’s best schools for physical sciences students. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
Full Physical Sciences at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report
Johns Hopkins University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Schools ranking. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Baltimore.
University of Maryland - College Park landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physical sciences programs. UMCP is a very large public school located in the suburb of College Park.
University of Arizona landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physical sciences programs. University of Arizona is a very large public school located in the large city of Tucson.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Arizona
Iowa State University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Schools list. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
University of Wyoming did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for physical sciences students. It came in at #18 on the list. UW is a fairly large public school located in the town of Laramie.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Wyoming
Drexel University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Schools list. Drexel is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
University of Houston landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physical sciences programs. UH is a fairly large public school located in the city of Houston.
University of Delaware landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best physical sciences programs. Located in the suburb of Newark, UD is a public college with a very large student population.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Physical Sciences Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
| 23 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 24 | Oklahoma State University - Main Campus | Stillwater, OK |
| 25 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 26 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 27 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 28 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
Physical Sciences by Region
View the Best Physical Sciences Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Physical Sciences Rankings
Physical Sciences Related Rankings by Major
Physical Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 5,005 |
| Physics | 3,727 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 2,491 |
| Materials Sciences | 448 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 371 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 342 |
| Other Physical Science | 191 |
| General Physical Sciences | 107 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 23 |
Majors Similar to Physical Sciences
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Engineering | 61,791 |
| Computer & Information Sciences | 60,971 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 28,851 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 15,127 |
| Engineering Technologies | 7,672 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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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