2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.
In 2019-2020, 14,123 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $42,475 and had an average of $22,421 in loans still to pay off.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 2,093 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 171 colleges that offered a degree in physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the physics program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at MIT, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best 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 Massachusetts Institute of Technology are $56,719.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 masters’s physics degrees to qualified students.
Northwestern also took the #4 spot in our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 23 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Stanford has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best 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 Stanford are $55,011.
Out of the 171 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it awarded 24 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Harvard has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard University are $50,654, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Chicago is a fairly large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 17 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
UChicago not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #6, Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 17 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Columbia has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best 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 are $51,194.
University of Pennsylvania came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 14 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #12 on our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pennsylvania are $41,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Princeton University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Princeton, New Jersey, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 29 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2019-2020.
Princeton also made our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at Princeton are $56,470, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #9, Cornell University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 30 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cornell, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell are $30,042, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Johns Hopkins University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Johns Hopkins University is located in Baltimore, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 masters’s physics degrees to qualified students.
Johns Hopkins not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins are $59,425, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Brown University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #11. Providence, Rhode Island is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 32 students in 2019-2020.
Brown did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best 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 Brown University are $60,363.
With a ranking of #12, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this large public school awarded 18 diplomas to qualified masters’s physics students in 2019-2020.
U-M did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #13, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. UW - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 masters’s physics degrees to qualified students.
UW - Madison did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Northeastern University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Boston, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our master’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, Northeastern has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern University are $25,558, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Florida ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Gainesville, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UF are $30,130, but some majors have different tuition rates.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Located in Edinburg, Texas, this large public school awarded 12 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley are $15,151, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This large school is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and it awarded 5 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248.
Read full report on Physics at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
With a ranking of #18, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Vanderbilt University is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 3 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt are $50,624.
University of California - Riverside landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UCR is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 30 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Physics at University of California - Riverside
Boston College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Boston College is a fairly large school located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts that handed out 2 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Boston College are $31,930, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #21, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Physics at California State University - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #22, University of California - Berkeley did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 29 diplomas to qualified masters’s physics students in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Physics at University of California - Berkeley
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 20 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294.
Read full report on Physics at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #24. California Institute of Technology is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pasadena, California. It awarded 6 masters’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.
Caltech also made our “Best Physics Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #14. Average graduate tuition and fees at Caltech are $56,649, but some majors have different tuition rates.
The City College of New York came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. New York, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 7 students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at CCNY are $20,832.
Rest of the Best 26 in Best Value Physics Schools for a Master’s For Those Making $30-$48k
Not only did these schools make the top 26 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
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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 A. T. Service.
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