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2025 Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region

36 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
10,789 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$47,003 Avg Early-Career Salary
Physical Sciences is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #19 out of the 38 majors across the country that we analyze each year. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

College Factual reviewed 36 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of physical sciences. Combined, these schools handed out 10,789 degrees in physical sciences to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Physical Sciences School

Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region The physical sciences program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Physical Sciences rankings. We derive our Best Overall Physical Sciences School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Physical Sciences Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Physical Sciences
Bachelor's Degrees in Physical Sciences
Master's Degrees in Physical Sciences
Doctor's Degrees in Physical Sciences

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Physical Sciences in the Far Western US Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the physical sciences degree levels they offer.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Physical Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
547 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$70,910 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in physical sciences has to check out University of California - Berkeley. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 547 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Those physical sciences students who get their degree from University of California - Berkeley receive $23,907 more than the average physical sciences student.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Berkeley

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
431 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
7.2% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in physical sciences has to check out University of California - Santa Barbara. UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 431 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, physical sciences degree recipients typically make around $45,852 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
628 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
4.8% Growth in Graduates

University of California - San Diego is a good option for students interested in a degree in physical sciences. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 628 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the physical sciences major at University of California - San Diego make $7,555 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - San Diego

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
350 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$50,741 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Irvine is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in physical sciences. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 350 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Those physical sciences students who get their degree from University of California - Irvine earn $3,738 more than the average physical sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Irvine

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
243 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$47,719 Median Starting Salary

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were about 243 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the physical sciences program report average early career wages of $47,719.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Davis

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
390 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
3.6% Growth in Graduates

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 390 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the physical sciences major at University of California - Los Angeles earn $13,089 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
543 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$38,902 Median Starting Salary

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 543 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the physical sciences program report average early career wages of $38,902.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
275 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$40,709 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #91 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were roughly 275 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the physical sciences program report average early career wages of $40,709.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
186 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
10.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were about 186 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, physical sciences degree recipients generally earn about $42,832 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from San Diego State University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
103 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$48,489 Median Starting Salary

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.

There were roughly 103 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, physical sciences degree recipients generally make about $48,489 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

Best Physical Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best physical sciences schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 38 8,301
Washington 37 1,936
Oregon 37 604
Hawaii 36 107
Nevada 35 315
Alaska 33 60

View All Rankings >

Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 4,110
Physics 3,474
Geological & Earth Sciences 1,632
General Physical Sciences 941
Astronomy & Astrophysics 285
Materials Sciences 194
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 142
Other Physical Science 11

View All Physical Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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