by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Physical Sciences is the 19th most popular major in the country with 50,306 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,880 and had an average of $22,620 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southeast region, there were 9,420 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,772 and $23,221 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,200 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,213 and $0 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region” ranking looked at 78 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. That schools that top this list have a program in physical sciences in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region master’s degree physical sciences students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mississippi State University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Mississippi State, Mississippi, this large public school awarded 96 degrees to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Wilmington. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. UNCW is a public institution located in Wilmington, North Carolina. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 54 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Carolina at Wilmington Physical Sciences Report
Out of the 78 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of New Orleans landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in New Orleans, Louisiana, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 diplomas to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of New Orleans
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Alabama in Huntsville. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. University of Alabama in Huntsville is a medium-sized public school situated in Huntsville, Alabama. It awarded 19 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 78 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Georgia State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Atlanta, Georgia, this large public school handed out 66 diplomas to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Christopher Newport University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. CNU is a small public school situated in Newport News, Virginia. It awarded 10 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of Memphis did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #7. University of Memphis is a large public school situated in Memphis, Tennessee. It awarded 35 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Memphis
With a ranking of #8, University of Southern Mississippi did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, this fairly large public school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
Full University of Southern Mississippi Physical Sciences Report
North Carolina Central University ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Durham, North Carolina, and it awarded 11 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Physical Sciences at North Carolina Central University
Furman University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #10. Furman is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greenville, South Carolina. It awarded 6 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #11. Florida State University is a large school located in Tallahassee, Florida that handed out 89 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Florida Institute of Technology came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Melbourne, Florida is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s physical sciences degrees to 13 students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #13, University of Arkansas at Little Rock did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. This medium-sized school is located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and it awarded 12 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
University of Louisiana at Lafayette did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #14. UL Lafayette is located in Lafayette, Louisiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 masters’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Duke University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Durham, North Carolina is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s physical sciences degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
The University of Tennessee - Knoxville did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #16. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 32 masters’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
North Carolina State University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Raleigh, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physical sciences degrees to 42 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full North Carolina State University Physical Sciences Report
Old Dominion University ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Old Dominion is a public institution located in Norfolk, Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Old Dominion University
With a ranking of #19, East Carolina University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. East Carolina University is a large public school situated in Greenville, North Carolina. It awarded 27 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
McNeese State University ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, this medium-sized public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #21, Appalachian State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Appalachian State University is a large school located in Boone, North Carolina that handed out 18 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Jackson State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #22. Jackson State University is a medium-sized school located in Jackson, Mississippi that handed out 5 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #23, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Louisiana State University is a public institution located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Louisiana State University
West Virginia University landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Morgantown, West Virginia, this large public school awarded 22 diplomas to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physical sciences degrees to 31 students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
