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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Southwest Region

43 Ranked Colleges
747 Degrees Awarded
$85,702 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 50,306 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. 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 Southwest region, there were 5,145 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,669 and $22,079 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 747 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,204 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, we looked at 43 colleges that offer a degree in physical sciences. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their physical sciences program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region”.

Top 25 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Southwest Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology is a public institution located in Socorro, New Mexico. The school has a small population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Physical Sciences Report

2
Rice crest
Rice University
Houston, Texas

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rice University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Rice is a private not-for-profit institution located in Houston, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 36 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Rice

3
University of Tulsa crest
University of Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma

Out of the 43 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Tulsa landed the #3 spot on the list. This small school is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and it awarded 13 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Tulsa

4
University of Arizona crest
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Arizona. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region. University of Arizona is a large public school situated in Tucson, Arizona. It awarded 104 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Arizona

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region. University of Oklahoma is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 58 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Oklahoma

6

The University of Texas of the Permian Basin landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. UT Permian Basin is a medium-sized school located in Odessa, Texas that handed out 10 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Physical Sciences at The University of Texas of the Permian Basin

7

Texas A&M University - Commerce ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M Commerce is a fairly large school located in Commerce, Texas that handed out 23 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Texas A&M University - Commerce

8

With a ranking of #8, Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M Kingsville is a public institution located in Kingsville, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 10 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Texas A&M University - Kingsville Physical Sciences Report

9

New Mexico State University - Main Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #9. NMSU Main Campus is a fairly large public school situated in Las Cruces, New Mexico. It awarded 17 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Full NMSU Main Campus Physical Sciences Report

10

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Edinburg, Texas, and it awarded 34 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

11

Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #11 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Texas A&M College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 81 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Texas A&M College Station

12

University of Houston - Clear Lake came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Houston - Clear Lake is a medium-sized public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 10 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.5% 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%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Houston - Clear Lake

13
Texas Tech crest
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

Texas Tech University landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Lubbock, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physical sciences degrees to 39 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Texas Tech

14
Baylor crest
Baylor University
Waco, Texas

Baylor University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Waco, Texas, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 20 degrees to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Baylor University

15

Sul Ross State University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Alpine, Texas, this small public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

Full Sul Ross Physical Sciences Report

16
PVAMU crest
Prairie View A & M University
Prairie View, Texas

Prairie View A & M University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Prairie View A & M University is a medium-sized public school situated in Prairie View, Texas. It awarded 6 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at PVAMU

17

With a ranking of #17, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. SFASU is located in Nacogdoches, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 10 masters’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Full Stephen F Austin State University Physical Sciences Report

18
UH crest
University of Houston
Houston, Texas

With a ranking of #18, University of Houston did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. UH is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 38 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Houston

19

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. OSU is a large public school situated in Stillwater, Oklahoma. It awarded 20 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at OSU

20

With a ranking of #20, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. UTSA is a large school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 23 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UTSA

21

With a ranking of #21, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. Located in El Paso, Texas, this large public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Physical Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso

22

The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Richardson, Texas, this large public school awarded 23 degrees to qualified masters’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 90%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UT Dallas

23
New Mexico Highlands University crest
New Mexico Highlands University
Las Vegas, New Mexico

New Mexico Highlands University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #23. Las Vegas, New Mexico is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s physical sciences degrees to 2 students in 2020-2021.

Full New Mexico Highlands University Physical Sciences Report

24

University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region list. University of New Mexico - Main Campus is a public institution located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full UNM Physical Sciences Report

25
NAU crest
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff, Arizona

Northern Arizona University landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southwest Region ranking. Northern Arizona University is a large public school situated in Flagstaff, Arizona. It awarded 16 masters’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Northern Arizona University Physical Sciences Report

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