Discover the best schools for physics research.
A physics degree can lead to a career in engineering, computer or information systems, teaching and more. Here are the top 11 Best Global Universities for Physics, as ranked by U.S. News based on academic research performance in that subject area.
11. University of Cambridge
Location: Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
Best Global Universities overall rank: 8
Fact: The University of Cambridge physics department has collaborative research programs focused on electronics, the physics of medicine, the physics of sustainability, scientific computing, semiconductor physics and quantum computers, according to the school’s website.
9 (tie). Tsinghua University
Location: Beijing, China
Best Global Universities overall rank: 26 (tie)
Fact: Tsinghua University‘s physics faculty includes multiple members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and their research concentrates on numerous areas of physics, including high energy physics.
9 (tie). Université Paris-Saclay
Location: Saint-Aubin, France
Best Global Universities overall rank: 60 (tie)
Fact: Université Paris-Saclay offers a Master of Physics program with tracks for both English and French speakers, and graduates of the program may prepare for research jobs in academia or industry.
8. Princeton University
Location: Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
Best Global Universities overall rank: 16 (tie)
Fact: Princeton University offers a fully funded one-year predoctoral fellowship for aspiring physics scholars from underrepresented populations, and the fellowship includes an admission offer to the physics Ph.D. program.
7. University of Tokyo
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Best Global Universities overall rank: 77
Fact: Focus areas of University of Tokyo physics researchers include astrophysics and astronomy, biophysics, experimental condensed matter physics and theoretical general physics, according to the school’s website.
6. University of Chicago
Location: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Best Global Universities overall rank: 15
Fact: NASA named its Parker Solar Probe spacecraft, which traveled to the sun, after University of Chicago Professor Emeritus Eugene Parker, who is known for his research on the star.
5. California Institute of Technology
Location: Pasadena, California, U.S.
Best Global Universities overall rank: 9 (tie)
Fact: Undergraduates at the California Institute of Technology can major in physics or applied physics, which has more of an emphasis on developing new technologies, according to the school’s website.
4. University of California–Berkeley
Location: Berkeley, California, U.S.
Best Global Universities overall rank: 4
Fact: Reinhard Genzel — a professor emeritus of physics and astronomy at UC–Berkeley — was a co-recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in physics, acknowledged for the discovery of a “supermassive compact object” in the middle of the Milky Way.
3. Harvard University
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Best Global Universities overall rank: 1
Fact: Among Harvard University‘s numerous physics-related research centers are the Black Hole Initiative, the Center for the Fundamental Laws of Nature and the Center for Nanoscale Systems, according to the university’s website.
2. Stanford University
Location: Stanford, California, U.S.
Best Global Universities overall rank: 3
Fact: Stanford University operates the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy science lab. The lab is home to a 2-mile particle accelerator that generates the world’s brightest X-rays, according to the SLAC website.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Best Global Universities overall rank: 2
Fact: Graduate physics researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology can conduct research within a dozen branches of physics ranging from photonics to plasma physics, according to the university’s website.
Here are the top 11 global universities for physics.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Stanford University
3. Harvard University
4. University of California–Berkeley
5. California Institute of Technology
6. University of Chicago
7. University of Tokyo
8. Princeton University
9 (tie). Tsinghua University
9 (tie). Université Paris-Saclay
11. University of Cambridge
Learn more about studying overseas.
Familiarize yourself with the differences between bachelor’s degree programs in the U.S. and Europe, learn about the advantages of higher education programs in Asia and discover ways to evaluate a global university without visiting. Also, follow U.S. News Education on Facebook and Twitter for more rankings and advice.
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See the Top 11 Global Universities for Physics originally appeared on usnews.com
