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Best universities for physics, chemistry and maths degrees 2024

Find the best universities for physics, chemistry and maths using Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024 data

    October 26 2023
    chemist, chemistry, science, research

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    Top 10 universities for physics, chemistry and maths degrees 2024

    Scroll down for the full list of the best universities in the world for physics, chemistry and maths degrees.

    Physical sciences rank 2024 Physical sciences rank 2023 UniversityCountry/region
    1 4 California Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    2 6 Harvard UniversityUnited States
    3 5 Stanford UniversityUnited States
    4 =2 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    5 7 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom
    =6 =2 University of California, BerkeleyUnited States
    =6 1 Princeton UniversityUnited States
    8 8 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom
    9 9 ETH ZurichSwitzerland
    10 12 Yale UniversityUnited States

    The study of physical science covers a number of science degrees, including mathematics, chemistry and earth science, in addition to the obvious – physics and astronomy.

    The best universities for studying physics, maths, chemistry and related subjects feature in a Times Higher Education ranking of 1,370 universities.

    US universities are the most represented in the ranking, taking 163 places, and American institutions dominate the top 10.

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    Only three institutions in the top 10 are not in the US: the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the UK and ETH Zurich in Switzerland.

    Switzerland, home to the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern), the largest particle physics laboratory in the world, is well represented in the ranking, with nine institutions overall. Other countries that make a strong showing include China (80 universities), the UK (59), Japan (57), Germany (45), Canada (30) and Australia (28).

    The ranking uses the same methodology as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024, but with adjusted weightings. The full methodology can be found here.

    Scroll down for a full list of degrees covered by the ranking and what you can do with them.

    Best universities in the US for physical science degrees
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    Top 5 universities for physics, chemistry and maths

    5. University of Cambridge

    The University of Cambridge has a long and distinguished history of training and research in physical sciences. Famous names including Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Ernest Rutherford and, more recently, Stephen Hawking, have all been associated with the university.

    The natural sciences course covers most biological and physical science subjects, allowing specialisation from the second year in physics, chemistry, biology, earth sciences and other specific disciplines.

    Maths is a separate degree course, often considered one of the most demanding programmes. Maths students are nicknamed “mathmos” and undertake the course in three parts, progressing from set theory to quantum mechanics.

    For most physical sciences graduate students, the famous Cavendish Laboratory is a centre for physics research and takes in about 75 students each year. Postgraduate programmes include physics doctorates and master’s degrees in scientific computing, nanoscience and computational methods.

    4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    The Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics department is fairly large, with about 75 faculty members, almost 300 undergraduate students and 300 postgraduate students.

    Since 1998, four alumni of MIT physics programmes have won Nobel prizes for their work.

    Freshman physics courses are taught using an educational initiative known as “technology-enabled active learning”.

    All undergraduates take maths classes as part of their degrees, and many choose to major or minor in the subject.

    Doctoral studies at MIT lead to doctor of philosophy or doctor of science degrees, although these are equivalent in terms of degree status.

    Mathematics graduates are admitted to applied or pure maths degrees, and applied maths students are encouraged to take classes in other departments, such as engineering.

    3. Stanford University

    About half of all undergraduates at Stanford University take at least one physics course as part of their studies. These courses serve as essential training for science and engineering majors.

    The department offers introductory courses aimed at non-technical majors, in addition to highly specialised classes.

    Studying chemistry at Stanford is also popular, with a specific chemical physics track for those students with strong physics and maths backgrounds.

    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.

    There are many streams for graduates studying physical sciences, from applied physics to biophysical chemistry. PhD programmes take about six years to complete.

    2. Harvard University

    Undergraduates at Harvard University can take advantage of a flexible course structure. Compared with other science majors, the physics course has few compulsory classes. Many students, therefore, choose to combine a physics major with maths, astronomy, history of science or chemistry.

    Even at undergraduate level, students can carry out research projects independently and work as teaching assistants in some classes.

    There is an active social and support community that organises buddies for new students, recreational events and extracurricular lectures in which students have the chance to interact informally with faculty.

    For graduate students, the primary areas of research at Harvard are high-energy particle physics, atomic and molecular physics, physics of solids and fluids, astrophysics, nuclear physics, statistical mechanics, quantum optics, mathematical physics, quantum field theory, string theory and relativity.

    1. California Institute of Technology

    The California Institute of Technology places strong emphasis on science teaching and research.

    The faculty members at the university share 74 Nobel prizes and 71 United States National Medals of Science or Technology between them, and include four chief scientists of the US air force.

    Numerous staff members are also associated with Nasa. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which was founded in the 1930s and is owned by Nasa, is operated as a division of Caltech. To date, it has spent billions on research and development.

    Physics is one of the most popular undergraduate and postgraduate degrees on offer at the university.

    What can you do with a chemistry degree?
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    What can you do with a physics degree?

    Best universities for physics, chemistry and maths degrees 2024

    Click each institution to view its World University Rankings 2024 profile

    Physical sciences rank 2024 Physical sciences rank 2023 UniversityCountry/region
    1 4 California Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    2 6 Harvard UniversityUnited States
    3 5 Stanford UniversityUnited States
    4 =2 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    5 7 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom
    =6 =2 University of California, BerkeleyUnited States
    =6 1 Princeton UniversityUnited States
    8 8 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom
    9 9 ETH ZurichSwitzerland
    10 12 Yale UniversityUnited States
    11 13 Imperial College LondonUnited Kingdom
    =12 10 Columbia UniversityUnited States
    =12 14 National University of SingaporeSingapore
    14 18 Tsinghua UniversityChina
    15 16 Peking UniversityChina
    16 11 The University of ChicagoUnited States
    17 15 University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
    18 17 Cornell UniversityUnited States
    19 21 École Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneSwitzerland
    20 20 Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University ParisFrance
    21 19 University of WashingtonUnited States
    22 23 Technical University of MunichGermany
    23 24 University of Michigan-Ann ArborUnited States
    24 30 The University of TokyoJapan
    25 22 University of TorontoCanada
    26 27 Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeSingapore
    27 28 LMU MunichGermany
    28 29 University of PennsylvaniaUnited States
    29 25 Fudan UniversityChina
    30 26 Institut Polytechnique de ParisFrance
    31 31 Johns Hopkins UniversityUnited States
    32 =41 Université Paris-SaclayFrance
    33 37 University of Science and Technology of ChinaChina
    34 =34 Northwestern UniversityUnited States
    35 45 Nanjing UniversityChina
    36 46 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina
    37 32 University of California, Santa BarbaraUnited States
    38 =39 University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUnited States
    39 33 University of California, San DiegoUnited States
    40 =39 University of BonnGermany
    41 =41 UCLUnited Kingdom
    42 =34 Universität HeidelbergGermany
    43 38 University of Texas at AustinUnited States
    44 =34 University of EdinburghUnited Kingdom
    45 48 Georgia Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    46 43 New York UniversityUnited States
    47 44 University of Hong KongHong Kong
    48 54 Duke UniversityUnited States
    49 =49 Sorbonne UniversityFrance
    50 =62 University of Wisconsin-MadisonUnited States
    51 =49 University of ManchesterUnited Kingdom
    52 53 University of British ColumbiaCanada
    53 51 University of Colorado BoulderUnited States
    54 79 Kyoto UniversityJapan
    55 56 Australian National UniversityAustralia
    =56 52 Brown UniversityUnited States
    =56 60 Carnegie Mellon UniversityUnited States
    58 58 The Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong Kong
    59 75 Zhejiang UniversityChina
    60 78 Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
    61 67 Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands
    =62 57 University of BristolUnited Kingdom
    64 85 Penn State (Main campus)United States
    =65 84 University of ArizonaUnited States
    =65 74 City University of Hong KongHong Kong
    =65 55 University of Maryland, College ParkUnited States
    68 =91 RWTH Aachen UniversityGermany
    69 101–125 Seoul National UniversitySouth Korea
    70 66 Rice UniversityUnited States
    71 =62 University of California, IrvineUnited States
    =72 77 McGill UniversityCanada
    =72 =68 University of MelbourneAustralia
    =74 71 Humboldt University of BerlinGermany
    =74 80 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)South Korea
    76 =91 KU LeuvenBelgium
    =77 72 University of GöttingenGermany
    79 101–125 University of MinnesotaUnited States
    80 70 The University of QueenslandAustralia
    81 =89 University of SouthamptonUnited Kingdom
    =82 73 University of GroningenNetherlands
    =82 101–125 University of SydneyAustralia
    =82 101–125 Texas A&M UniversityUnited States
    85 88 University of California, DavisUnited States
    =86 100 Karlsruhe Institute of TechnologyGermany
    =86 65 Leiden UniversityNetherlands
    88 =98 UNSW SydneyAustralia
    89 101–125 Technical University of BerlinGermany
    =90 86 University of AmsterdamNetherlands
    =90 =82 Monash UniversityAustralia
    =90 61 Université Paris CitéFrance
    93 =91 King’s College LondonUnited Kingdom
    94 64 Scuola Normale Superiore di PisaItaly
    95 126–150 University of MassachusettsUnited States
    96 =68 Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlands
    97 101–125 Sapienza University of RomeItaly
    98 97 University of LeedsUnited Kingdom
    =99 126–150 Michigan State UniversityUnited States
    =99 101–125 Ohio State University (Main campus)United States
    101–125 94 University of AdelaideAustralia
    101–125 126–150 Beijing Normal UniversityChina
    101–125 95 University of BernSwitzerland
    101–125 101–125 Boston UniversityUnited States
    101–125 =98 University of California, Santa CruzUnited States
    101–125 101–125 University of CopenhagenDenmark
    101–125 =89 Free University of BerlinGermany
    101–125 101–125 University of GenevaSwitzerland
    101–125 126–150 Ghent UniversityBelgium
    101–125 101–125 Université Grenoble AlpesFrance
    101–125 101–125 University of HamburgGermany
    101–125 101–125 University of HelsinkiFinland
    101–125 101–125 Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong
    101–125 126–150 KTH Royal Institute of TechnologySweden
    101–125 96 Lund UniversitySweden
    101–125 151–175 Nankai UniversityChina
    101–125 126–150 Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)South Korea
    101–125 176–200 Purdue University West LafayetteUnited States
    101–125 81 University of ReadingUnited Kingdom
    101–125 76 Stockholm UniversitySweden
    101–125 101–125 Stony Brook UniversityUnited States
    101–125 201–250 Tohoku UniversityJapan
    101–125 101–125 University of ViennaAustria
    101–125 101–125 University of WarwickUnited Kingdom
    101–125 126–150 University of WaterlooCanada
    101–125 151–175 Wuhan UniversityChina
    101–125 151–175 Yonsei University (Seoul campus)South Korea
    101–125 87 University of ZurichSwitzerland
    126–150 151–175 University of AlbertaCanada
    126–150 126–150 Arizona State University (Tempe)United States
    126–150 101–125 University of BirminghamUnited Kingdom
    126–150 126–150 Université Catholique de LouvainBelgium
    126–150 126–150 Curtin UniversityAustralia
    126–150 101–125 Durham UniversityUnited Kingdom
    126–150 101–125 University of ExeterUnited Kingdom
    126–150 126–150 University of GlasgowUnited Kingdom
    126–150 151–175 University of Hawai’i at MānoaUnited States
    126–150 47 King Abdulaziz UniversitySaudi Arabia
    126–150 151–175 University of LiverpoolUnited Kingdom
    126–150 101–125 University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUnited States
    126–150 126–150 University of OsloNorway
    126–150 126–150 Radboud University NijmegenNetherlands
    126–150 151–175 University of SheffieldUnited Kingdom
    126–150 126–150 Sichuan UniversityChina
    126–150 176–200 University of Southern CaliforniaUnited States
    126–150 101–125 University of St AndrewsUnited Kingdom
    126–150 126–150 Technical University of DenmarkDenmark
    126–150 151–175 TU DresdenGermany
    126–150 126–150 Uppsala UniversitySweden
    126–150 151–175 Xiamen UniversityChina
    151–175 126–150 Aarhus UniversityDenmark
    151–175 151–175 University of AntwerpBelgium
    151–175 151–175 University of California, RiversideUnited States
    151–175 176–200 École Normale Supérieure de LyonFrance
    151–175 201–250 University of Erlangen-NurembergGermany
    151–175 176–200 University of FloridaUnited States
    151–175 176–200 University of FreiburgGermany
    151–175 151–175 Johannes Gutenberg University of MainzGermany
    151–175 151–175 King Fahd University of Petroleum and MineralsSaudi Arabia
    151–175 151–175 Université Libre de BruxellesBelgium
    151–175 151–175 Macquarie UniversityAustralia
    151–175 151–175 University of MünsterGermany
    151–175 201–250 Nagoya UniversityJapan
    151–175 176–200 University of NottinghamUnited Kingdom
    151–175 151–175 University of RochesterUnited States
    151–175 201–250 Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU)South Korea
    151–175 176–200 Swinburne University of TechnologyAustralia
    151–175 126–150 University of Technology SydneyAustralia
    151–175 251–300 Tokyo Institute of TechnologyJapan
    151–175 126–150 Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)South Korea
    151–175 126–150 Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamNetherlands
    151–175 176–200 Washington University in St LouisUnited States
    151–175 151–175 The University of Western AustraliaAustralia
    151–175 126–150 University of WollongongAustralia
    176–200 201–250 University of BarcelonaSpain
    176–200 126–150 University of BaselSwitzerland
    176–200 151–175 Cardiff UniversityUnited Kingdom
    176–200 201–250 Chalmers University of TechnologySweden
    176–200 151–175 Colorado State University, Fort CollinsUnited States
    176–200 201–250 Eindhoven University of TechnologyNetherlands
    176–200 176–200 Friedrich Schiller University JenaGermany
    176–200 201–250 Goethe University FrankfurtGermany
    176–200 401–500 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina
    176–200 201–250 Korea UniversitySouth Korea
    176–200 201–250 Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUTFinland
    176–200 201–250 North Carolina State UniversityUnited States
    176–200 201–250 University of Notre DameUnited States
    176–200 301–400 Osaka UniversityJapan
    176–200 151–175 University of PotsdamGermany
    176–200 151–175 Queen Mary University of LondonUnited Kingdom
    176–200 126–150 Queen’s University BelfastUnited Kingdom
    176–200 126–150 Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)China
    176–200 151–175 Sun Yat-sen UniversityChina
    176–200 176–200 Tel Aviv UniversityIsrael
    176–200 176–200 The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleUnited States
    176–200 151–175 Trinity College DublinIreland
    176–200 101–125 University of VictoriaCanada
    176–200 201–250 University of WürzburgGermany

    Editor’s note: As part of our THE statement on Ukraine published on 2 March 2022, Russian universities have been given less prominence in our rankings. Russian universities that met the criteria for this ranking are not displayed in the table above.

     

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