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2024 Best Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region

36 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
3,867 Physics Degrees Awarded
$41,477 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in physics, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #68 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 36 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,867 degrees in physics to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Physics School

Best Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of physics 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 physics 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.

Physics Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Physics
Master's Degrees in Physics
Doctor's Degrees in Physics

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Physics Schools in the Far Western US Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Physics in the Far Western US 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 physics degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Physics

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
85 Physics Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in physics has to take a look at Stanford University. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 85 physics students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
123 Physics Degrees Awarded
14.6% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a degree in physics. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 123 physics students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, physics degree recipients usually make around $42,865 at the beginning of their careers.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
199 Physics Degrees Awarded
$49,863 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you want to pursue a degree in physics. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 199 physics students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the physics degree program at University of California - Santa Barbara make $8,386 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
197 Physics Degrees Awarded
$59,702 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you want to pursue a degree in physics. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 197 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the physics program at University of California - Berkeley get $18,225 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Physics Degrees Awarded
$41,524 Median Starting Salary

UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 82 physics students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the physics program earn an average of $41,524 for their early career.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
122 Physics Degrees Awarded
29.5% Growth in Graduates

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were roughly 121.99999999999999 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the physics program earn around $33,381 in the first couple years of their career.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
262 Physics Degrees Awarded
7.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 262 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, physics degree recipients generally make around $38,470 in their early careers.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In CA
52 Physics Degrees Awarded

Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pasadena. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.

There were about 52 physics students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from California Institute of Technology

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Physics Degrees Awarded
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 90 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. After graduating, physics degree recipients typically make around $25,226 in the first five years of their career.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 Physics Degrees Awarded
32.6% Growth in Graduates

UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were about 95 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the physics program make an average of $36,552 in the first couple years of working.

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

Best Physics Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 3,218
Washington 300 392
Oregon 266 187
Nevada 192 50
Hawaii 164 10
Alaska 119 4

View All Rankings >

Physics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Physics Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Physics 3,695
Other Physics 167
Theoretical & Mathematical Physics 4
Atomic/Molecular Physics 1

View All Physics Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 4,052
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 Physics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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