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2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k

14 Ranked Colleges
139 Degrees Awarded
$36,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master's For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 941 people earned their degree in engineering and applied physics, making the major the 440th most popular in the United States.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 139 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering and applied physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering and applied physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the engineering and applied physics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 14 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics (Income $30-$48k)

#1

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #1 spot on the list. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified masters’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.

Harvard not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard University are $50,654.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Harvard University

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 1 masters’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Northwestern

#3

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 14 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Rice University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Houston, Texas, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Rice, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Rice University are $47,913.

Full Rice University Engineering & Applied Physics Report

#4

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cornell University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Ithaca, New York. It awarded 16 masters’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Cornell also took the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell are $30,042.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Cornell University

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s applied physics degrees to 15 students in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #1 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Columbia

#6

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#3 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Pasadena, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 10 degrees to qualified masters’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Caltech has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Caltech

#7 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 9 masters’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UCSD

#8

University of Maine

Orono, Maine
#13 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of Maine did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Orono, Maine, and it awarded 1 masters’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMaine, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMaine are $28,352.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at UMaine

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Central Oklahoma did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Central Oklahoma is a fairly large school located in Edmond, Oklahoma that handed out 2 masters’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UCO not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCO are $17,913, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UCO Engineering & Applied Physics Report

#12 in overall quality

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Norman, Oklahoma is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s applied physics degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree applied physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, University of Oklahoma has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus are $23,236.

Full University of Oklahoma Engineering & Applied Physics Report

#11

University of Tulsa

Tulsa, Oklahoma
#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, University of Tulsa did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Tulsa is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.

University of Tulsa also took the #11 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Tulsa are $24,080, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of Tulsa

#12

New York University

New York, New York
#9 in overall quality

New York University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. NYU is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 1 masters’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

NYU also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NYU are $36,892.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at NYU

#13

Stevens Institute of Technology

Hoboken, New Jersey
#8 in overall quality

Stevens Institute of Technology ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stevens Institute of Technology is located in Hoboken, New Jersey and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.

Stevens also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stevens Institute of Technology are $38,876, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Stevens

#10 in overall quality

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #14. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach is located in Daytona Beach, Florida and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 masters’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.

Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach are $19,736, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach

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Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

  • Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.

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