2023 Physics Popularity
There are about 40,454 students enrolled in Physics in the USA.
Menu: popularity
popularity
Above Average
Compared to national avg.
Diplomas received last year
16,222
Vs. National Avg.
3%
popularity Rank
#67
POPULARITY
Physics is the 61st most popular degree in America, with 8,457 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #62 Philosophy, and narrowly lost to #60 Criminology.
The degree is offered at a total of 786 colleges across the nation, and is the 26th most widely offered degree. Given that physics is offered at 94% of the Top 100 Best Colleges in America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.
It is also worth noting that 56% of colleges offering physics are public making it a pretty accessible field.
The far west produces the most physics graduates, largely led by University of California-Berkeley, while it’s the Pacific-12 Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from University of California-Berkeley and University of California-San Diego.
All that being said, no individual school produces more physics graduates than Arizona Western College, which graduated 176 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study physics). More students studied physics as a percentage of total students at California Institute of Technology than any other college.
