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2024 Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region

16 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,129 Physics Degrees Awarded
$62,678 Avg Early-Career Salary
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 16 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for physics students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,129 degrees in physics during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Physics School

Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of physics school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

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 picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Physics Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Physics in the Southwest Region

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.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Physics

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
162 Physics Degrees Awarded
2.5% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in physics needs to look into University of Arizona. Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were approximately 162 physics students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Physics degree recipients from University of Arizona earn a boost of approximately $31,333 above the typical earnings of physics graduates.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Arizona

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Physics Degrees Awarded
$42,452 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Austin is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in physics. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 111 physics students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the physics program earn around $42,452 for their early career.

More information about a degree in physics from The University of Texas at Austin

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Physics Degrees Awarded
$39,684 Median Starting Salary

Texas A&M University - College Station is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in physics. Located in the medium-sized city of College Station, Texas A&M College Station is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Texas A&M College Station is a great university overall.

There were approximately 64 physics students who graduated with this degree at Texas A&M College Station in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the physics program earn around $39,684 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in physics from Texas A&M University - College Station

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TX
34 Physics Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat University of Houston if you wish to pursue a degree in physics. Located in the city of Houston, UH is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #211 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UH is a great university overall.

There were roughly 34 physics students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from University of Houston

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In OK

OSU is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Stillwater. This university ranks 2nd out of 32 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were about 12 physics students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In TX
56.7% Growth in Graduates

Baylor is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Waco. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 30 physics students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from Baylor University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In TX
48 Physics Degrees Awarded

Texas Tech is a very large public university located in the large city of Lubbock. A Best Colleges rank of #168 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas Tech is a great university overall.

There were roughly 48 physics students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from Texas Tech University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Physics Degrees Awarded
$35,484 Median Starting Salary

ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 50 physics students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the physics program state that they receive average early career income of $35,484.

More information about a degree in physics from Arizona State University - Tempe

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In TX
32 Physics Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 14th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 32 physics students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in physics from University of North Texas

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In TX
40 Physics Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Richardson, UT Dallas is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #216 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Dallas is a great university overall.

There were roughly 40 physics students who graduated with this degree at UT Dallas in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in physics from The University of Texas at Dallas

Best Physics Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 736
Arizona 287 269
Oklahoma 257 55
New Mexico 219 62

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 983
Optics/Optical Sciences 122
Other Physics 24

View All Physics Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Physics

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 1,787
Geological & Earth Sciences 961
General Physical Sciences 927
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 154
Astronomy & Astrophysics 119
Materials Sciences 54
Other Physical Science 14

View All Physics Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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