Find Grad Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

8 Colleges
$63,256 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, 588 degrees and certificates were awarded to physical sciences students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #17 most popular major in the state.

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 8 schools in Illinois to see which ones offered the best master's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois

The colleges and universities below are the best for physical sciences majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top Illinois Schools for a Master's in Physical Sciences

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in Illinois for physical sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.

Full Physical Sciences at Northwestern University Report

Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois Institute of Technology landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Illinois Institute of Technology

#3

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

The excellent master’s degree programs at University of Chicago helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in Illinois. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Full Physical Sciences at University of Chicago Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a great place for physical sciences students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

Out of the 8 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Illinois State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Illinois State University

Western Illinois University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Full Physical Sciences at Western Illinois University Report

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree physical sciences programs. UIC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Chicago.

Full Physical Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

With a ranking of #8, Northern Illinois University did quite well on this year’s best schools for physical sciences students working on their master’s degree. NIU is a large public school located in the suburb of Dekalb.

Full Physical Sciences at Northern Illinois University Report

Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Indiana 270
Ohio 536
Wisconsin 210
Michigan 415

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 8 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.