by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2024, College Factual analyzed 43 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,152 bachelor's degrees in physics during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of physics for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for physics students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Physics Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in physics.
University of Chicago is a great option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in physics. UChicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.
Those physics students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Chicago make $6,920 more than the standard physics graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Chicago
Northwestern University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in physics. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Northwestern University
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in physics has to check out University of Wisconsin - Madison. UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the physics program earn about $45,916 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in physics. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.
After graduating, physics bachelor's recipients typically make about $42,728 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign.
Bachelor's recipients from the physics program at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign make $2,224 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from University of Notre Dame
Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population.
Soon after graduating, physics bachelor's recipients usually earn about $45,021 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Purdue University - Main Campus
Michigan State is a very large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.
After graduating, physics bachelor's recipients usually earn about $34,929 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Michigan State University
Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.More information about a bachelor’s in physics from Illinois Institute of Technology
Explore the best physics colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
One of 8 majors within the Physical Sciences area of study, Physics has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Physics | 1,124 |
| Other Physics | 13 |
| Acoustics | 7 |
| Theoretical & Mathematical Physics | 6 |
| Condensed Matter & Materials Physics | 2 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 2,175 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 572 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 186 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 133 |
| Other Physical Science | 15 |
| Materials Sciences | 12 |
| General Physical Sciences | 11 |
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