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2025 Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools

244 Colleges in the United States
29,960 Bachelor's Degrees
$41,992 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, a bachelor's degree in physical sciences sits in the middle of the road, ranking #18 out of 38 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 244 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 29,960 bachelor's degrees in physical sciences during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools The physical sciences bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality physical sciences program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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 bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Physical Sciences in the United States

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in physical sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Physical Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Annual Graduates

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a wonderful option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Massachusetts Institute of Technology

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
47 Annual Graduates

University of Notre Dame is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Notre Dame

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
435 Annual Graduates

University of California - San Diego is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in physical sciences. UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - San Diego

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Annual Graduates

Johns Hopkins University is a good choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in physical sciences. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Johns Hopkins University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
326 Annual Graduates

UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Berkeley

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
314 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara

7
Lehigh crest
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Bethlehem, Lehigh is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Lehigh University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
241 Annual Graduates

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Irvine

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
150 Annual Graduates

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Davis

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Annual Graduates

RPI is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Troy.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
185 Annual Graduates

U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

12
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Annual Graduates

Boston College is a large private not-for-profit college located in the city of Chestnut Hill.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Boston College

13
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
167 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
141 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
213 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

16
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Duke University

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
174 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Arizona

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Rochester

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
201 Annual Graduates

UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
164 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Virginia - Main Campus

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
123 Annual Graduates

Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Cornell University

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
181 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from Texas A&M University - College Station

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
172 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

25
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
222 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physical sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

Rest of the Top Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
27
28
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
29
30
31
32

33

34
35
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
36
37
38
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
39
40
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
41

42

43
44
SUNY Stony Brook crest
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, NY
45
46
47
48
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
49 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
50 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
51 William & Mary Williamsburg, VA
52 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
53 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
54 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
55 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
56 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN
57 Drexel University Philadelphia, PA
58 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
59 Clemson University Clemson, SC
60 Brandeis University Waltham, MA
61 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
62 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
63 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
64 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
65 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
66 Emory University Atlanta, GA
67 University of Wyoming Laramie, WY
68 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
69 Auburn University Auburn, AL
70 College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA
71 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
72 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
73 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
74 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
75 George Washington University Washington, DC
76 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
77 Washington State University Pullman, WA
78 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
79 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
80 University of Georgia Athens, GA
81 Arizona State University - Tempe Tempe, AZ

Physical Sciences by Region

View the Best Physical Sciences Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 14,179
Physics 7,942
Geological & Earth Sciences 5,389
Astronomy & Astrophysics 967
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 742
General Physical Sciences 290
Other Physical Science 262
Materials Sciences 160
Physics and Astronomy 29

Related Major Annual Graduates
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 137,147
Engineering 125,469
Mathematics & Statistics 31,213
Natural Resources & Conservation 21,739
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations 21,000
Engineering Technologies 18,358
Architecture & Related Services 9,631
Military Technologies & Applied Sciences 1,627
Science Technologies / Technicians 447

Notes and References

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