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2025 Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region

41 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
6,565 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$47,003 Avg Early-Career Salary
Physical Sciences isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #19 in popularity 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.

College Factual reviewed 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of physical sciences. Combined, these schools handed out 6,565 degrees in physical sciences to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Physical Sciences School

Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of physical sciences school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for physical sciences schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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

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

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 the Great Lakes Region. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Physical Sciences in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the physical sciences degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Physical Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
379 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
8.4% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you wish to pursue a degree in physical sciences. U-M is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 379 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the physical sciences program at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $7,080 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
377 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$57,921 Median Starting Salary

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great option for students interested in a degree in physical sciences. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 377 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year. Physical Sciences degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison get an earnings boost of approximately $10,919 above the average income of physical sciences majors.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
17.5% Growth in Graduates

University of Notre Dame is a good option for students interested in a degree in physical sciences. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were about 120 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Those physical sciences students who get their degree from University of Notre Dame earn $37,649 more than the typical physical sciences grad.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of Notre Dame

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
342 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$57,065 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you want to pursue a degree in physical sciences. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 342 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the physical sciences degree program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign make $10,062 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
366 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
15.3% Growth in Graduates

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 366 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Those physical sciences students who get their degree from Ohio State University - Main Campus earn $18,755 more than the typical physical sciences grad.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from Ohio State University - Main Campus

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In OH
94 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded

Case Western is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cleveland. A Best Colleges rank of #116 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Case Western is a great university overall.

There were about 94 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Case Western in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from Case Western Reserve University

7
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
217 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$41,828 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #54 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 217 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the physical sciences program state that they receive average early career wages of $41,828.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from Michigan State University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
11.6% Growth in Graduates

UC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were about 129 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, physical sciences degree recipients typically make an average of $47,387 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
182 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
15.4% Growth in Graduates

IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were approximately 182 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available. Physical Sciences degree recipients from Indiana University - Bloomington receive an earnings boost of around $16,649 over the typical earnings of physical sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from Indiana University - Bloomington

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
281 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
2.5% Growth in Graduates

Purdue is a very large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #65 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were roughly 281 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent year we have data available. Physical Sciences degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of around $13,083 above the average earnings of physical sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from Purdue University - Main Campus

Best Physical Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best physical sciences colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 948
Michigan 38 1,282
Ohio 38 1,579
Illinois 38 1,678
Wisconsin 37 873

View All Rankings >

Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 3,275
Physics 1,684
Geological & Earth Sciences 1,044
Astronomy & Astrophysics 247
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 178
General Physical Sciences 95
Materials Sciences 31
Other Physical Science 11

View All Physical Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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