Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California

15 Colleges
$63,256 Avg Salary

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

With 1,641 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, physical sciences is the #12 most popular major in California.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in California to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the physical sciences master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for physical sciences students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in California. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Los Angeles Report

#5

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

Out of the 15 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Diego State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. SDSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Diego.

Full Physical Sciences at San Diego State University Report

California State University - Long Beach landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree physical sciences programs. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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

University of California - Davis ranked #8 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population.

Read More…

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #9 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a large public school located in the small city of Santa Cruz.

Read More…

University of California - Riverside ranked #10 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Riverside Report

Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 246
Oregon 215
Nevada 60
Hawaii 47
Alaska 31

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

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 15 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.

Featured Schools

Find Graduate Schools Near You

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