A degree in physics is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #68 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 9 schools in Wisconsin to determine which ones were the best for physics students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 285 degrees in physics to qualified students.
The physics program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Physics rankings. For our Best Overall Physics School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
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.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Physics Schools in Wisconsin list to help you make the college 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.
The schools below may not offer all types of physics degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
University of Wisconsin - Madison is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in physics. UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.
There were about 144 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the physics program earn an average of $45,916 for their early career.
It's difficult to beat University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire if you wish to pursue a degree in physics. UW - Eau Claire is a fairly large public university located in the city of Eau Claire. A Best Colleges rank of #323 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Eau Claire is a great university overall.
There were roughly 27 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Eau Claire in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, physics degree recipients typically earn about $48,888 in the first five years of their career.
University of Wisconsin - River Falls is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in physics. UW - River Falls is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of River Falls. This university ranks 12th out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were approximately 18 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW - River Falls in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the physics program at University of Wisconsin - River Falls get $6,496 more than the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Any student pursuing a degree in physics needs to check out University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. UWM is a fairly large public university located in the city of Milwaukee. This university ranks 19th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 16 physics students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent year we have data available.
UW - La Crosse is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Crosse. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - La Crosse is a great university overall.
There were about 27 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW - La Crosse in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the physics program make about $46,468 in the first couple years of their career.
UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Stevens Point. This university ranks 26th out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were approximately 3 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Stevens Point in the most recent year we have data available.
Beloit is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Beloit. This college ranks 30th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 4 physics students who graduated with this degree at Beloit in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #359 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Whitewater is a great university overall.
There were roughly 3 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Whitewater in the most recent data year.
UW - Parkside is a small public university located in the midsize suburb of Kenosha. This university ranks 41st out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were roughly 8 physics students who graduated with this degree at UW - Parkside in the most recent data year.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.