2025 Best Materials Sciences Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

Materials Sciences is about average in terms of popularity for master's degrees programs. That is, it ranks #190 out of the 343 majors across the country that we analyze each year. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

College Factual reviewed 2 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for master's degree seekers in the field of materials sciences. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 72 master's degrees in materials sciences during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Master’s Degree Schools List

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on materials sciences students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other materials sciences students want to attend this school to pursue a master's degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt materials sciences students go into to obtain their master's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized materials sciences related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for materials sciences students working on their master's degree.

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 Materials Sciences Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Materials Sciences in the Far Western US Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in materials sciences.

Top Far Western US Region Schools for a Master's in Materials Science

1

University of California - Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

42 Annual Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is a wonderful option for students interested in a master's degree in materials sciences. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in materials sciences from University of California - Berkeley

2

University of California - Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA

10 Annual Graduates

University of California - Santa Barbara is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in materials sciences. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in materials sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara

Best Materials Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best materials sciences colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
California	253	49
Oregon	158	4

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Materials Sciences Related Rankings by Major

Materials Sciences is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Materials Science Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
General Materials Science	72

Majors Similar to Materials Science

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Chemistry	360
Geological & Earth Sciences	321
Physics	302
Astronomy & Astrophysics	65
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	36
General Physical Sciences	12
Physics and Astronomy	1

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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 Per Henning. More about our data sources and methodologies.