How will your physics education stack up?

If you are considering pursuing a physics degree at home, below is relevant information to help you compare the education you will be receiving to that available elsewhere in the country. The US has 883 brick and mortar physics schools.

Top Schools

In 2010, the top schools in the country with physics programs were:

1. Harvard University - located in Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. Yale University - located in New Haven, Connecticut
3. Stanford University - located in Stanford, California

Student Demographics

In 2010, 9,991 students earned degrees in physics in the US. Of these students, 74 received certifications in physics, 6,019 received an undergraduate degree in physics, and 3,898 received a graduate-level degree in physics.

Academics

Students can pursue education in physics at the following levels:

The skills and/or knowledge that physics students can expect to gain during the course of their physics education are:

• Teamwork
• Mathematics
• Computer Skills
• Research
• Thermodynamics and Kinetic Theory

Cost

On average in 2010, physics schools in the US charged $29,769 in tuition per year. The physics schools that charged students the highest tuition rates were:

1. Columbia University in the City of New York - located in New York, New York, students paid $41,316
2. Vassar College - located in Poughkeepsie, New York, students paid $41,930
3. George Washington University - located in Washington, Washington DC, students paid $41,655

The physics schools charging the lowest tuition were:

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, students paid $5,625
2. Texas A & M University - located in College Station, Texas, students paid $8,176
3. University of Washington-Seattle Campus - located in Seattle, Washington State, students paid $7,692

How will your physics job compare?

Physicist is the profession of choice for a large number of physics graduates. In 2010, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there were 16,860 physicists working in the US. The following states have the largest number of physicists:

1. Illinois - 2,930 Physicists
2. California - 2,890 Physicists
3. Maryland - 1,160 Physicists

Projected Growth

The following states are projected to have the fastest growth for physicists over the next few years:

1. Georgia - 36%
2. Idaho - 25%
3. North Carolina - 20%

Salary

In the US, a physicist earns on average $102,778 per year. However, factors such as work conditions, your employer, or shift differentials can cause the salary for a physicist to vary greatly. A physicist in the US can earn anywhere from less than $35,850 per year to more than $163,240 per year. Physicists in the following states make the highest salaries on average:

1. Minnesota - $152,450 per year
2. Nevada - $151,590 per year
3. Kansas - $141,570 per year

The states with the lowest average salary for physicists are:

1. Texas - $83,010 per year
2. Nebraska - $84,420 per year
3. Mississippi - $85,540 per year