by our College Data Analytics Team
Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
In 2021-2022, 13,447 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 68th most popular in the United States. 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 the Great Lakes region, there were 1,684 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $48,251 and $21,847 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 265 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,182 and $43,142 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 38 colleges that offer a degree in physics. That schools that top this list have a program in physics in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree physics students.
Out of the 38 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #1 spot on the list. Western Illinois University is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 4 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 38 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Notre Dame, Indiana, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified masters’s physics students 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 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 98%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Out of the 38 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Chicago landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 33 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 99%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Out of the 38 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #5 spot on the list. UW - Madison is a public institution located in Madison, Wisconsin. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, this fairly large public school handed out 1 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 15 masters’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Miami University - Oxford did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #8. Oxford, Ohio is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 10 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management is a small public school situated in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. It awarded 2 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
With a ranking of #10, Michigan Technological University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Houghton, Michigan, and it awarded 7 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 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Lewis University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Romeoville, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 16 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #12, Wright State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Wright State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Dayton, Ohio. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 masters’s 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 Wright State University - Main Campus
Kent State University at Kent ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Kent, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physics degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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%.
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ohio State University - Main Campus is a public institution located in Columbus, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 30 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #15, University of Akron Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Akron Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Akron, Ohio. It awarded 1 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 14 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, 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 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physics at Indiana University - Bloomington
Bowling Green State University - Main Campus landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. BGSU is a fairly large public school situated in Bowling Green, Ohio. It awarded 4 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physics at Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Northern Illinois University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 masters’s physics degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Wayne State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wayne State University is a public institution located in Detroit, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Ball State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Muncie, Indiana, and it awarded 3 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #21, Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois Institute of Technology is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 masters’s 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #22, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 17 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, 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%.
Case Western Reserve University landed the #23 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 4 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. 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%. 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.
With a ranking of #24, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 12 masters’s physics degrees 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.
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Purdue is a public institution located in West Lafayette, Indiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
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