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2024 Best Physics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

37 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
2,435 Physics Degrees Awarded
$39,917 Avg Early-Career Salary
Physics is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #68 most popular degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 37 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physics Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,435 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 Middle Atlantic Region Your choice of physics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Physics School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

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 the Middle Atlantic Region list to help you make the college decision. 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 Physics in the Middle Atlantic 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 physics degree levels they offer.

10 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools in Physics

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MD
60 Physics Degrees Awarded

Johns Hopkins University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in physics. Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.

There were roughly 60 physics students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from Johns Hopkins University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Physics Degrees Awarded
$38,630 Median Starting Salary

Cornell University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in physics. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were approximately 96 physics students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the physics program earn about $38,630 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in physics from Cornell University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Physics Degrees Awarded
$48,534 Median Starting Salary

University of Maryland - College Park is a good option for students pursuing a degree in physics. UMCP is a very large public university located in the large suburb of College Park. A Best Colleges rank of #42 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMCP is a great university overall.

There were approximately 109 physics students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent year we have data available. Those physics students who get their degree from University of Maryland - College Park receive $8,617 more than the typical physics student.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Maryland - College Park

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Physics Degrees Awarded
30.5% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Rochester if you want to pursue a degree in physics. Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #104 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Rochester is a great university overall.

There were roughly 118 physics students who graduated with this degree at University of Rochester in the most recent year we have data available. Those physics students who get their degree from University of Rochester earn $49,860 more than the average physics grad.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Rochester

5
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Physics Degrees Awarded
$33,529 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were about 130 physics students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program state that they receive average early career earnings of $33,529.

More information about a degree in physics from New York University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In NY
40 Physics Degrees Awarded

RIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Rochester. This school ranks 22nd out of 142 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 40 physics students who graduated with this degree at RIT in the most recent data year.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Physics Degrees Awarded
4.7% Growth in Graduates

RPI is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Troy. A Best Colleges rank of #106 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means RPI is a great school overall.

There were roughly 64 physics students who graduated with this degree at RPI in the most recent data year. Those physics students who get their degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute receive $2,531 more than the average physics grad.

More information about a degree in physics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In DE
31 Physics Degrees Awarded

UD is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Newark. A Best Colleges rank of #118 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 31 physics students who graduated with this degree at UD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Delaware

9
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In PA
$26,696 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #125 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.

There were roughly 27 physics students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from Drexel University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Physics Degrees Awarded
$36,245 Median Starting Salary

Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public university located in the small city of New Brunswick. A Best Colleges rank of #98 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.

There were approximately 61 physics students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the physics program make about $36,245 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in physics from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Best Physics Colleges by State

Explore the best physics colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 635
New York 333 1,108
Maryland 279 286
New Jersey 273 272
District of Columbia 188 79
Delaware 175 37

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 2,185
Other Physics 96
Acoustics 89
Optics/Optical Sciences 56
Theoretical & Mathematical Physics 9

View All Physics Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 3,341
Geological & Earth Sciences 1,361
General Physical Sciences 1,275
Other Physical Science 323
Materials Sciences 321
Astronomy & Astrophysics 284
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 216

View All Physics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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