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2024 Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region

35 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
11,419 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$41,747 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 looked at 35 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 11,419 degrees in physical sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

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
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
243 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
0.8% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Stanford University if you wish to pursue a degree in physical sciences. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 243 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Those physical sciences students who get their degree from Stanford University make $15,671 more than the standard physical sciences student.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
560 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$68,574 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in physical sciences needs to take a look at 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 #10 out of 2,238 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 560 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Physical Sciences degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of approximately $26,827 above the typical income of physical sciences majors.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
400 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$57,799 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in physical sciences needs to take a look at University of California - Santa Barbara. UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,238 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 400 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the physical sciences degree program at University of California - Santa Barbara earn $16,052 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
143 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
20.3% Growth in Graduates

California Institute of Technology is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in physical sciences. Located in the midsize city of Pasadena, Caltech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,238 schools nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.

There were about 143 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent year we have data available. Physical Sciences degree recipients from California Institute of Technology earn a boost of about $18,249 over the average earnings of physical sciences majors.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from California Institute of Technology

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
371 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
7.3% Growth in Graduates

UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #25 out of 2,238 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were about 371 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the physical sciences program report average early career wages of $40,129.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
598 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
2.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 598 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Physical Sciences degree recipients from University of California - San Diego earn a boost of around $7,549 above the typical earnings of physical sciences graduates.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
612 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$40,318 Median Starting Salary

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were approximately 612 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the physical sciences program earn about $40,318 for their early career.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
367 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$40,888 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 367 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the physical sciences program make an average of $40,888 in their early career salary.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
270 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
11.9% Growth in Graduates

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,238 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 270 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, physical sciences degree recipients generally earn an average of $38,612 in their early careers.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
343 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
19.8% Growth in Graduates

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 #106 out of 2,238 colleges nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were roughly 343 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the physical sciences program make an average of $36,967 for their early career.

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

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 4,052
Physics 3,867
Geological & Earth Sciences 1,632
General Physical Sciences 1,209
Astronomy & Astrophysics 344
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 157
Materials Sciences 143
Other Physical Science 15

View All Physical Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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