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2025 Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Illinois

4 Colleges in Illinois
323 Master's Degrees
Physical Sciences isn't the most popular master's program in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #19 in popularity out of 37 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 4 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 323 master's degrees in physical sciences during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Physical Sciences School for Your Master's Degree

Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Illinois 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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for physical sciences students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Physical Sciences Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Physical Sciences Master's Degree Schools in Illinois list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Physical Sciences in Illinois

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in physical sciences.

Top Illinois Schools for a Master's in Physical Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you wish to pursue a master's degree in physical sciences. UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19 Annual Graduates

University of Illinois at Chicago is a good decision for individuals interested in a master's degree in physical sciences. Located in the large city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from University of Illinois at Chicago

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

It is hard to beat Western Illinois University if you want to pursue a master's degree in physical sciences. Located in the remote town of Macomb, WIU is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from Western Illinois University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
24 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Southern Illinois University Edwardsville if you want to pursue a master's degree in physical sciences. SIUE is a large public university located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.More information about a master’s in physical sciences from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 33 95
Ohio 32 311
Michigan 31 203
Wisconsin 31 100

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Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 188
Physics 72
Geological & Earth Sciences 31
General Physical Sciences 23
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 7
Astronomy & Astrophysics 1
Materials Sciences 1

Related Major Annual Graduates
Engineering 1,498
Mathematics & Statistics 999
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 790
Engineering Technologies 383
Architecture & Related Services 168
Natural Resources & Conservation 160
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations 154
Science Technologies / Technicians 11
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 6

Notes and References

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