by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 56 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Physics Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,152 master's degrees in physics during the <nil> academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of physics for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality physics program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for physics students working on their master's degree.
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 Physics Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for physics students seeking a a master's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is difficult to beat Johns Hopkins University if you want to pursue a master's degree in physics. Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore.More information about a master’s in physics from Johns Hopkins University
It's difficult to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you want to pursue a master's degree in physics. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in physics from Columbia University in the City of New York
It's difficult to beat University of Arizona if you wish to pursue a master's degree in physics. Located in the large city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's recipients from the physics degree program at University of Arizona make $27,448 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a master’s in physics from University of Arizona
Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in physics needs to look into Cornell University. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca.More information about a master’s in physics from Cornell University
Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in physics from Duke University
Located in the city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in physics from University of Rochester
U-M is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.More information about a master’s in physics from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley.More information about a master’s in physics from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in physics from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in physics from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in physics from University of California - Los Angeles
Here are some additional great schools for Physics students that almost earned our Best Physics Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 13 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis, MN |
| 14 | University of Massachusetts Amherst | Amherst, MA |
| 15 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 16 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 17 | Northeastern University | Boston, MA |
| 18 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
View the Best Physics Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Physics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Physics | 1,774 |
| Other Physics | 152 |
| Optics/Optical Sciences | 132 |
| Acoustics | 85 |
| Atomic/Molecular Physics | 7 |
| Elementary Particle Physics | 1 |
| Condensed Matter & Materials Physics | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 2,413 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 1,612 |
| Materials Sciences | 279 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 258 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 253 |
| Other Physical Science | 153 |
| General Physical Sciences | 50 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 4 |
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