Top 10 universities in the US for physical science degrees 2024
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US physical science rank 2024 | Physical science rank 2024 | University | State |
1 | 1 | California Institute of Technology | California |
2 | 2 | Harvard University | Massachusetts |
3 | 3 | Stanford University | California |
4 | 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts |
=5 | =6 | University of California, Berkeley | California |
=5 | =6 | Princeton University | New Jersey |
7 | 10 | Yale University | Connecticut |
8 | =12 | Columbia University | New York |
9 | 16 | The University of Chicago | Illinois |
10 | 17 | University of California, Los Angeles | California |
The physical sciences include mathematics,statistics, physics,astronomy,chemistry, geology, environmental sciences and Earth and marine sciences.Courses in the physical sciences differ across universities and countries, but the core focus is on the understanding and application of mathematics in the natural world through practical and lab work.
In the US, studying physical sciences at the undergraduate level usually takes the form of a four-year course, beginning with a foundationin calculus, physics and chemistry. After the first year, students can choose more specialised areas ofstudy, and through the country’smajor-minor systema number of scientific disciplines can often be explored simultaneously.Students are also encouraged to engage in research projects throughout their studies.
Postgraduate courses are focused on more specific subject areas, where students undertake research in their chosen area of interest or join a research group within their institution.
These are the best universities in the US for physical science degrees 2024.
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=5.Princeton University
Princeton Universityoffers a range of natural sciences programmes that includemathematics, astrophysics, chemistry, geosciences, physics, and sustainable energy.
Princeton’sastrophysical sciences department offers a range ofcourses including general relativityand cosmology, while themaths department’s offerings include combinatorial optimisationand dynamic meteorology.
In the department of chemistry, undergraduates are taught in small classes and progress to an independent senior thesis project.
Graduate studies in mathematics focus on independent research from the beginning of the programme, unlike many other doctoral courses in the US.
=5.University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeleywas founded in 1868.
Undergraduate physical sciences courses include applied mathematics, astrophysics, Earth science, geology, geophysics, mathematics, physical science, physics and statistics.
Earth and planetary science students can choose from six majors andeight minors covering a range of topics, including marine science, geology and atmospheric science.
The mathematics department is home to one of the largestmathematics libraries in the US. Maths-related organisations that students can get involved in includethe mathematics undergraduate student association and the women in math group.
The astronomy department is knownfor its research on the discovery and computation of comets, orbits and minor planets. Undergraduates can take a variety of courses, from modern cosmology to radio astronomy, and develop skills in Python coding. The department also offers research funding, meaning many astrophysics majors have had work published in scientific journals before graduating.
Physical sciences studentsalso participate in a range of extracurricular academic, sporting, theatrical and philanthropic groups, including the space exploration society and thewomen in the physical sciences group.
Students are encouraged to take part in research projects during their course.
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The physics undergraduate programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers two tracks: Flexible and Focus.
Postgraduate students in physics take a range of core classes such as classical mechanics and quantum mechanics.
TheFlexibletrack is selected by most physics majors andallows students to choose from a range offundamental physics topics. The Focus track requires students to take morespecific required courses, including two terms of experimental physics, and to write a research thesis.
There are three different undergraduate programmes in maths: applied mathematics, pure mathematics and general mathematics. There are also two postgraduate programmes in pure mathematics and applied mathematics.
The university lays claim to 85 Nobel Laureates, 58 National Medal of Science winners, 29 National Medal of Technology and Innovation winners and 45 MacArthur Fellows. Among its impressive alumni is Kofi Annan, former secretary-general of the United Nations.
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3.Stanford University
AtStanford Universityhalf of all undergraduatestake at least one physics course as part of their studies.
Undergraduates can also major or minor in physics, choosing to specialise further.
Electivemodules across the physical sciencefields allow for specialisation later down the line and covereverything from aeronautics,astronautics andastronomy tochemical engineering, geological sciences, mathematical and computational science and statistics.
There is a specific chemical physics track forstudents with a strong aptitude for physics and maths. Students can major or minor in maths, and they have the opportunity to participate in an annual maths contest with cash prizes for excellent scores and for outstanding performances by women.
An undergraduate research programmeover the summergivesstudents the opportunity to join a physics research group to gain research experience.
There are many streams for graduates studying physical sciences, from applied physics to biophysical chemistry.
2. Harvard University
Undergraduate students at Harvard University can choose from a range of physical science concentrations including astrophysics, chemistry, physics, Earth and planetary sciences and statistics.
Students can study either with interdisciplinary courses in the physical sciencessequence or with foundational courses in one of the relevant departments. As students continue their degrees, the course can become more focused based on areas of interest.
TheHarvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysicsis one of the best in the world for research in astrophysics, with over 350 scientists and astronomical observatories in Arizona, Chile, Hawaii, and in space. Undergraduate students are able to join the centre to take part in term-time or summer research.
The mathematics department hosts a range of events for students including math table talks and colloquiums.
1.California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology, also known as Caltech,is a science and engineering institutefounded in 1891.
Caltech’s Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in a range of subjects across the physical sciences.
The physics undergraduate courses offered at Caltech include classical mechanics and electromagnetism, the science of musicand frontiers in physics. All undergraduates must complete three terms of introductory physics. Students are encouraged to get involvedin research, for which they can receive academic credit.
The four-year mathematics undergraduateprogramme at Caltech providesa foundation incalculus, combinatorics, geometry and analysis in the first year.There are then arange of elective mathematics modules, fromabstract algebra andclassical analysisto hom*ological algebra and Riemannian geometry. Seniors are encouraged to do a bachelor’s thesis in an advanced topic.
The universitymanages the Jet Propulsion Laboratoryfor Nasa as well as operatingthe Seismological Laboratory.
The astronomy department has four observatories available for students to use: Ovro, Palomar, W.M. Keck, and Ligo.
Best universities for physical sciences degrees in the United States 2024
Click each institution to view its fullWorld University Rankings 2024profile
US physical science rank 2024 | Physical science rank 2024 | University | State |
1 | 1 | California Institute of Technology | California |
2 | 2 | Harvard University | Massachusetts |
3 | 3 | Stanford University | California |
4 | 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts |
=5 | =6 | University of California, Berkeley | California |
=5 | =6 | Princeton University | New Jersey |
7 | 10 | Yale University | Connecticut |
8 | =12 | Columbia University | New York |
9 | 16 | The University of Chicago | Illinois |
10 | 17 | University of California, Los Angeles | California |
11 | 18 | Cornell University | New York |
12 | 21 | University of Washington | Washington |
13 | 23 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Michigan |
14 | 28 | University of Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
15 | 31 | Johns Hopkins University | Maryland |
16 | 34 | Northwestern University | Illinois |
17 | 37 | University of California, Santa Barbara | California |
18 | 38 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Illinois |
19 | 39 | University of California, San Diego | California |
20 | 43 | University of Texas at Austin | Texas |
21 | 45 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Georgia |
22 | 46 | New York University | New York |
23 | 48 | Duke University | North Carolina |
24 | 50 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin |
25 | 53 | University of Colorado Boulder | Colorado |
=26 | =56 | Brown University | Rhode Island |
=26 | =56 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pennsylvania |
28 | 64 | Penn State (Main campus) | Pennsylvania |
=29 | =65 | University of Arizona | Arizona |
=29 | =65 | University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland |
31 | 70 | Rice University | Texas |
32 | 71 | University of California, Irvine | California |
33 | 79 | University of Minnesota | Minnesota |
34 | =82 | Texas | |
35 | 85 | University of California, Davis | California |
36 | 95 | University of Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
=37 | =99 | Michigan State University | Michigan |
=37 | =99 | Ohio State University (Main campus) | Ohio |
=39 | 101–125 | Boston University | Massachusetts |
=39 | 101–125 | University of California, Santa Cruz | California |
=39 | 101–125 | PurdueUniversityWest Lafayette | Indiana |
=39 | 101–125 | Stony Brook University | New York |
=43 | 126–150 | Arizona State University (Tempe) | Arizona |
=43 | 126–150 | University of Hawai’i at Mānoa | Hawai'i |
=43 | 126–150 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | North Carolina |
=43 | 126–150 | University of Southern California | California |
=47 | 151–175 | University of California, Riverside | California |
=47 | 151–175 | University of Florida | Florida |
=47 | 151–175 | University of Rochester | New York |
=47 | 151–175 | Washington University in St Louis | Missouri |
=51 | 176–200 | Colorado State University, Fort Collins | Colorado |
=51 | 176–200 | North Carolina State University | North Carolina |
=51 | 176–200 | University of Notre Dame | Indiana |
=51 | 176–200 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | Tennessee |
=55 | 201–250 | Brandeis University | Massachusetts |
=55 | 201–250 | Dartmouth College | New Hampshire |
=55 | 201–250 | Florida State University | Florida |
=55 | 201–250 | Indiana University | Indiana |
=55 | 201–250 | University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus | Pennsylvania |
=55 | 201–250 | Rutgers University – New Brunswick | New Jersey |
=55 | 201–250 | Tufts University | Massachusetts |
=55 | 201–250 | Vanderbilt University | Tennessee |
=55 | 201–250 | University of Virginia (Main campus) | Virginia |
=55 | 201–250 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Virginia |
=65 | 251–300 | University of Alaska Fairbanks | Alaska |
=65 | 251–300 | Case Western Reserve University | Ohio |
=65 | 251–300 | University of Delaware | Delaware |
=65 | 251–300 | Drexel University | Pennsylvania |
=65 | 251–300 | Emory University | Georgia |
=65 | 251–300 | University of Illinois Chicago | Illinois |
=65 | 251–300 | University of Iowa | Iowa |
=65 | 251–300 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | Nebraska |
=65 | 251–300 | Northeastern University, US | Illinois |
=65 | 251–300 | University of South Florida | Florida |
=65 | 251–300 | Syracuse University | New York |
=65 | 251–300 | University of Utah | Utah |
=65 | 251–300 | Washington State University | Washington |
=78 | 301–400 | Boston College | Massachusetts |
=78 | 301–400 | University at Buffalo | New York |
=78 | 301–400 | University of Central Florida | Florida |
=78 | 301–400 | University of Connecticut | Connecticut |
=78 | 301–400 | George Washington University | Washington DC |
=78 | 301–400 | University of Houston | Texas |
=78 | 301–400 | Iowa State University | Iowa |
=78 | 301–400 | Kansas State University | Kansas |
=78 | 301–400 | University of Maryland, Baltimore County | Maryland |
=78 | 301–400 | University of Miami | Florida |
=78 | 301–400 | Missouri University of Science and Technology | Missouri |
=78 | 301–400 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | New York |
=78 | 301–400 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | South Carolina |
=78 | 301–400 | Temple University | Pennsylvania |
=78 | 301–400 | University of Texas at Arlington | Texas |
=78 | 301–400 | University of Texas at Dallas | Texas |
=94 | 401–500 | Auburn University | Alabama |
=94 | 401–500 | University of California, Merced | California |
=94 | 401–500 | The Catholic University of America | Washington DC |
=94 | 401–500 | Florida International University | Florida |
=94 | 401–500 | University of Kansas | Kansas |
=94 | 401–500 | University of Kentucky | Kentucky |
=94 | 401–500 | Louisiana State University | Louisiana |
=94 | 401–500 | Mizzou - University of Missouri | Missouri |
=94 | 401–500 | Northern Illinois University | Illinois |
=94 | 401–500 | Oklahoma State University | Oklahoma |
=94 | 401–500 | University of Oregon | Oregon |
=94 | 401–500 | Texas Tech University | Texas |
=94 | 401–500 | Wayne State University | Michigan |
=94 | 401–500 | Virginia | |
=94 | 401–500 | University of Wyoming | Wyoming |
=109 | 501–600 | University of Alabama | Alabama |
=109 | 501–600 | Clark University | Massachusetts |
=109 | 501–600 | Clarkson University | New York |
=109 | 501–600 | Florida Atlantic University | Florida |
=109 | 501–600 | Florida Institute of Technology | Florida |
=109 | 501–600 | George Mason University | Virginia |
=109 | 501–600 | University of Georgia | Georgia |
=109 | 501–600 | Lehigh University | Pennsylvania |
=109 | 501–600 | Mississippi State University | Mississippi |
=109 | 501–600 | New Jersey Institute of Technology | New Jersey |
=109 | 501–600 | New Mexico State University (Main campus) | New Mexico |
=109 | 501–600 | Ohio University (Main campus) | Ohio |
=109 | 501–600 | Old Dominion University | Virginia |
=109 | 501–600 | Rochester Institute of Technology | New York |
=109 | 501–600 | Stevens Institute of Technology | New Jersey |
=109 | 501–600 | The University of Texas at San Antonio | Texas |
=109 | 501–600 | University of Toledo | Ohio |
=109 | 501–600 | The University of Tulsa | Oklahoma |
=109 | 501–600 | Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Massachusetts |
=128 | 601–800 | American University | Washington DC |
=128 | 601–800 | University of Arkansas | Arkansas |
=128 | 601–800 | Baylor University | Texas |
=128 | 601–800 | University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus | Colorado |
=128 | 601–800 | University of Denver | Colorado |
=128 | 601–800 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | Florida |
=128 | 601–800 | Georgia State University | Georgia |
=128 | 601–800 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Illinois |
=128 | 601–800 | Marquette University | Wisconsin |
=128 | 601–800 | Montana State University | Montana |
=128 | 601–800 | University of Nevada, Las Vegas | Nevada |
=128 | 601–800 | University of Rhode Island | Rhode Island |
=128 | 601–800 | San Diego State University | California |
=128 | 601–800 | University of South Dakota | South Dakota |
=128 | 601–800 | SUNY Binghamton University | New York |
=128 | 601–800 | Tulane University | Louisiana |
=128 | 601–800 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Virginia |
=128 | 601–800 | Wake Forest University | North Carolina |
=128 | 601–800 | Western Michigan University | Michigan |
=147 | 801–1000 | Central Michigan University | Michigan |
=147 | 801–1000 | Chapman University | California |
=147 | 801–1000 | Georgetown University | Washington DC |
=147 | 801–1000 | Howard University | Washington DC |
=147 | 801–1000 | University of Memphis | Tennessee |
=147 | 801–1000 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | North Carolina |
=147 | 801–1000 | Oakland University | Michigan |
=147 | 801–1000 | Portland State University | Ohio |
=147 | 801–1000 | Rowan University | New Jersey |
=147 | 801–1000 | Saint Louis University | Missouri |
=147 | 801–1000 | University of Texas at El Paso | Texas |
=147 | 801–1000 | University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Texas |
=147 | 801–1000 | Texas State University | Texas |
=160 | 1001+ | Bowling Green State University | Ohio |
=160 | 1001+ | College of Charleston | South Carolina |
=160 | 1001+ | Georgia Southern University | Georgia |
=160 | 1001+ | Morgan State University | Maryland |