2023 Best Physical Sciences Schools in California
21
Colleges in California
8,381
Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$43,416
Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity,
physical sciences sits in the middle of the road, ranking #19 out of 38 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.
College Factual reviewed 21 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of physical sciences. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,381 degrees in physical sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Physical Sciences School
Your choice of physical sciences school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Physical Sciences School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Physical Sciences Rankings by Degree Level
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 Schools in California.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Physical Sciences in California
The schools below may not offer all types of physical sciences degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top California Schools in Physical Sciences
Any student who is interested in physical sciences has to look into Stanford University. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,241 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. Degree recipients from the physical sciences degree program at Stanford University get $14,002 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from Stanford University
University of California - Berkeley is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in physical sciences. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 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 earn a boost of around $25,158 over the typical income of physical sciences graduates.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Santa Barbara is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in physical sciences. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were about 400 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the physical sciences degree program at University of California - Santa Barbara make $14,383 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara
University of California - San Diego is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in physical sciences. UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were approximately 598 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the physical sciences program at University of California - San Diego earn $5,880 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - San Diego
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,241 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 receive their degree from the physical sciences program make about $40,129 for their early career.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Los Angeles
UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #77 out of 2,241 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. Soon after graduating, physical sciences degree recipients typically earn an average of $40,888 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Irvine
Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #57 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were about 270 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 state that they receive average early career income of $38,612.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Davis
Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,241 colleges nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.
There were roughly 143 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent year we have data available. Those physical sciences students who get their degree from California Institute of Technology earn $16,580 more than the average physical sciences grad.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from California Institute of Technology
UC Santa Cruz is a large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,241 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.
There were approximately 343 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, physical sciences degree recipients generally earn around $36,967 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz
SDSU is a very large public university located in the large city of San Diego. This university ranks 24th out of 170 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 167 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the physical sciences program earn around $39,624 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a degree in physical sciences from San Diego State University
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