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2024 Best Physical Sciences Schools in California

21 Colleges in California
8,381 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$43,416 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, physical sciences sits in the middle of the road, ranking #19 out of 38 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

College Factual reviewed 21 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of physical sciences. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,381 degrees in physical sciences during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Physical Sciences School

Best Physical Sciences Schools in California Your choice of physical sciences school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Physical Sciences 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.

Physical Sciences Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Physical Sciences
Master's Degrees in Physical Sciences
Doctor's Degrees in Physical Sciences

The physical sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Physical Sciences Schools in California. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Physical Sciences in California

The schools below may not offer all types of physical sciences degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top California Schools in Physical Sciences

1
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
243 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
0.8% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in physical sciences has to check out Stanford University. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were approximately 243 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the physical sciences major at Stanford University make $14,002 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from Stanford University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
560 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$68,574 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in physical sciences. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 560 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Physical Sciences degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of around $25,158 above the typical income of physical sciences graduates.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Berkeley

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
400 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$57,799 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Santa Barbara is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in physical sciences. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 400 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the physical sciences degree program at University of California - Santa Barbara make $14,383 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
598 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
2.3% Growth in Graduates

University of California - San Diego is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in physical sciences. UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 598 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the physical sciences degree program at University of California - San Diego get $5,880 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - San Diego

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
371 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
7.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 371 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the physical sciences program make around $40,129 for their early career.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
367 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$40,888 Median Starting Salary

UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 367 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, physical sciences degree recipients usually earn about $40,888 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Irvine

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
143 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
20.3% Growth in Graduates

Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Caltech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 143 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent year we have data available. Those physical sciences students who get their degree from California Institute of Technology earn $16,580 more than the standard physical sciences graduate.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from California Institute of Technology

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
270 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
11.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 270 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the physical sciences program report average early career earnings of $38,612.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Davis

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
167 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
$39,624 Median Starting Salary

SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Diego. This university ranks 22nd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 167 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the physical sciences program make about $39,624 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from San Diego State University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
343 Physical Sciences Degrees Awarded
19.8% Growth in Graduates

UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Santa Cruz. A Best Colleges rank of #102 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Santa Cruz is a great university overall.

There were approximately 343 physical sciences students who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, physical sciences degree recipients usually earn around $36,967 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz

Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 37 1,936
Oregon 37 604
Hawaii 36 107
Nevada 35 315
Alaska 33 60

View All Rankings >

Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 3,316
Physics 3,224
Geological & Earth Sciences 994
General Physical Sciences 362
Astronomy & Astrophysics 252
Materials Sciences 136
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 82
Other Physical Science 15

View All Physical Sciences Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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