2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Physical Sciences (Income $0-$30k)

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 4,159 people earned their degree in general physical sciences, making the major the 135th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $25,050 and had an average of $13,137 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 41 general physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in general physical sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent general physical sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the general physical sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree physical science students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Physical Sciences (Income $0-$30k)

#1

University of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$61,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #1 spot on the list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 6 masters’s physical science degrees in 2019-2020.

UChicago did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best General Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on General Physical Sciences at University of Chicago

#2

Marshall University

Huntington, West Virginia

$21,162 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Marshall University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k. This fairly large school is located in Huntington, West Virginia, and it awarded 3 masters’s physical science degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Marshall University, the school also landed the #0 spot in our “Best General Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Marshall University are $21,162.

Full Marshall University General Physical Sciences Report

#3

Georgia Southern University

Statesboro, Georgia

#3 in overall quality

$22,004 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$43,798 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Georgia Southern University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k. Georgia Southern University is located in Statesboro, Georgia and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s physical science degrees to qualified students.

GaSou not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best General Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Georgia Southern University are $22,004.

Read full report on General Physical Sciences at GaSou

#4

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, New York

#1 in overall quality

$50,442 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rochester Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Science Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $0-$30k list. RIT is a private not-for-profit institution located in Rochester, New York. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our master’s degree physical science students whose families make $0-$30k list, RIT has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best General Physical Sciences Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Rochester Institute of Technology are $50,442, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about General Physical Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology

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.

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