by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 20 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,134 master's degrees in physical sciences during the 2021-2022 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of physical sciences for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for physical sciences students working on their master's degree.
The physical sciences 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 the Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in physical sciences.
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in physical sciences has to check out University of California - Berkeley. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from University of California - Berkeley
It is difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a master's degree in physical sciences. UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from University of California - Los Angeles
It is difficult to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you wish to pursue a master's degree in physical sciences. UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara
It is hard to beat University of California - San Diego if you want to pursue a master's degree in physical sciences. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from University of California - San Diego
Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from University of California - Irvine
UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the large city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the city of Eugene, UO is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from University of Oregon
Located in the city of Corvallis, Oregon State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from Oregon State University
Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from San Francisco State University
Explore the best physical sciences colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| California | 33 | 847 |
| Washington | 31 | 133 |
| Oregon | 29 | 141 |
| Hawaii | 27 | 31 |
| Nevada | 27 | 30 |
| Alaska | 21 | 21 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 333 |
| Physics | 315 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 314 |
| Materials Sciences | 77 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 45 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 34 |
| General Physical Sciences | 16 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Engineering | 8,088 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 1,784 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 1,716 |
| Architecture & Related Services | 1,036 |
| Natural Resources & Conservation | 802 |
| Engineering Technologies | 679 |
| Agriculture & Agriculture Operations | 245 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 133 |
| Science Technologies / Technicians | 19 |
