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2024 Best Physics Schools in the Plains States Region

14 Colleges in the Plains States Region
711 Physics Degrees Awarded
$55,327 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 14 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physics Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 711 degrees in physics during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Physics School

Best Physics Schools in the Plains States Region 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. 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.

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.

Pick Your Physics 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 Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Plains States 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 Plains States Region Schools in Physics

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Physics Degrees Awarded
16.0% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in physics has to look into University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were approximately 94 physics students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the physics program earn around $55,327 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IA
34 Physics Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in physics has to look into Iowa State University. Iowa State is a very large public university located in the city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 34 physics students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from Iowa State University

3
Carleton crest
Carleton College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MN
26.3% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in physics needs to check out Carleton College. Located in the town of Northfield, Carleton is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #93 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carleton is a great college overall.

There were roughly 19 physics students who graduated with this degree at Carleton in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from Carleton College

4
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In MN
$25,000 Median Student Debt

St Olaf College is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in physics. Located in the distant town of Northfield, St. Olaf is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 6th out of 52 colleges for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were approximately 14 physics students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from St Olaf College

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MO
$22,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were roughly 27 physics students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Missouri - Columbia

6
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IA
37 Physics Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were about 37 physics students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Iowa

7
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In KS
32.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 25 physics students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Kansas

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In MN

Located in the city of Duluth, UMN Duluth is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 9th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 13 physics students who graduated with this degree at UMN Duluth in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Minnesota - Duluth

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In MO

Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, UMSL is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 48 colleges for overall quality in the state of Missouri.

There were about 5 physics students who graduated with this degree at UMSL in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Missouri - St Louis

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NE
42.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #105 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Creighton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 14 physics students who graduated with this degree at Creighton in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from Creighton University

Best Physics Colleges by State

Explore the best physics schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 236
Missouri 283 134
Kansas 266 84
Iowa 264 141
Nebraska 238 69
North Dakota 210 23
South Dakota 204 24

View All Rankings >

One of 8 majors within the Physical Sciences area of study, Physics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Physics Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
General Physics 684
Other Physics 13
Atomic/Molecular Physics 5
Condensed Matter & Materials Physics 4
Elementary Particle Physics 3
Nuclear Physics 2

View All Physics Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 1,541
Geological & Earth Sciences 430
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 101
Astronomy & Astrophysics 44
Materials Sciences 27
General Physical Sciences 19
Other Physical Science 8

View All Physics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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