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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Physics in the Plains States Region

20 Ranked Colleges
78 Degrees Awarded
$28,400 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 Plains States region, there were 721 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,327 and $23,519 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 78 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,858 and $37,352 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 20 colleges that offered 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.

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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region”.

Top 20 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Physics in the Plains States Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is a public institution located in Rapid City, South Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

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 full report on Physics at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

2
USD crest
University of South Dakota
Vermillion, South Dakota

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of South Dakota. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. USD is a public institution located in Vermillion, South Dakota. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of South Dakota Physics Report

3

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Duluth. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Duluth, Minnesota, this medium-sized public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UMN Duluth Physics Report

4

Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #4 spot on the list. UNL is a large school located in Lincoln, Nebraska that handed out 16 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Full University of Nebraska - Lincoln Physics Report

5

Out of the 20 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Washington University in St Louis landed the #5 spot on the list. Washington University in St Louis is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 5 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% 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 96%.

Read more about Physics at Washington University in St Louis

6

With a ranking of #6, Wichita State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Wichita, Kansas, this fairly large public school handed out 4 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at Wichita State University

7

With a ranking of #7, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Fargo, North Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s physics students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at North Dakota State University

8

Minnesota State University - Mankato did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #8. Minnesota State Mankato is a public institution located in Mankato, Minnesota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 5 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%.

Read more about Physics at Minnesota State Mankato

9

University of Missouri - Kansas City landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Kansas City, Missouri, and it awarded 6 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.

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%.

Read more about Physics at UMKC

10
Creighton crest
Creighton University
Omaha, Nebraska

With a ranking of #10, Creighton University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. Creighton University is located in Omaha, Nebraska and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 masters’s physics degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Creighton University Physics Report

11

University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This large school is located in Columbia, Missouri, and it awarded 30 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Mizzou Physics Report

12
UND crest
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota

University of North Dakota landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of North Dakota is a fairly large public school situated in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It awarded 1 masters’s physics 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%.

Full UND Physics Report

13

Iowa State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Iowa State University is a large school located in Ames, Iowa that handed out 1 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physics at Iowa State University

14

With a ranking of #14, Pittsburg State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. Pittsburg State University is a public institution located in Pittsburg, Kansas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% 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%.

Full Pittsburg State University Physics Report

15

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 4 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Physics Report

16
K -State crest
Kansas State University
Manhattan, Kansas

With a ranking of #16, Kansas State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. Kansas State University is a fairly large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas. It awarded 3 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full K -State Physics Report

17

University of Missouri - St Louis ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region list. UMSL is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 masters’s physics degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physics at University of Missouri - St Louis

18
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, Iowa

University of Iowa came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Iowa is a large school located in Iowa City, Iowa that handed out 7 masters’s physics degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.

Read full report on Physics at University of Iowa

19
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas

University of Kansas came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 2 diplomas 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 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.

Read full report on Physics at KU

20

Missouri University of Science and Technology came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physics Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Rolla, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized 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 85%. 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%.

Read full report on Physics at Missouri University of Science and Technology

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