2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Physics in California
22
Ranked Colleges
231
Degrees Awarded
$33,500
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California” ranking.
Physics is the 68th most popular major in the country with 13,447 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , physics graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $42,912 and had an average of $22,477 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 2,939 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,268 and $17,323 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 231 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,735 and $51,649 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California” ranking looked at 22 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physics. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their physics program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
The physics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California”.
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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California”.
Top 22 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Physics in California
Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Caltech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Caltech Physics Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Santa Barbara
Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 17 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physics at Stanford University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. University of California - Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school situated in Santa Cruz, California. It awarded 10 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full University of California - Santa Cruz Physics Report
Out of the 22 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #5 spot on the list. UCR is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Physics at UCR
University of California - Berkeley came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 19 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at University of California - Berkeley
San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking, coming in at #7. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 10 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at SFSU
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 19 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at University of California - Los Angeles
University of California - Davis ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 11 diplomas to qualified masters’s physics students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - Davis
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 16 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at California State University - Northridge
University of California - Irvine came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 8 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physics at UC Irvine
California State University - Long Beach ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. CSULB is a public institution located in Long Beach, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at CSULB
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full California State University - Los Angeles Physics Report
University of California - Merced did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking, coming in at #14. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized school located in Merced, California that handed out 6 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at UC Merced
San Jose State University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. This large school is located in San Jose, California, and it awarded 14 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at San Jose State University
California State University - Fresno ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 9 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at California State University - Fresno
California State University - Fullerton landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 12 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fullerton Physics Report
With a ranking of #18, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California list. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 4 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%.
Full San Diego State University Physics Report
University of California - San Diego landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 2 masters’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Physics at University of California - San Diego
University of Southern California came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. USC is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 3 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full USC Physics Report
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking. San Luis Obispo, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 51 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Physics Report
Naval Postgraduate School did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. Naval Postgraduate School is located in Monterey, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 0 masters’s physics degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Naval Postgraduate School Physics Report
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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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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
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