Top 10 universities for physics, chemistry and maths degrees 2025

Insights into the top 10 ranked universities for physics, chemistry and maths degrees 2025

Explore the full table for the best universities for physical sciences here

The field of physical science includes mathematics, chemistry, earth science, physics and astronomy.

The best universities for studying physics, mathematics, chemistry and related subjects feature in the Times Higher Education ranking of 1,447 universities.

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

Only four institutions in the top 10 are not in the US: the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the UK, ETH Zurich in Switzerland and the National University of Singapore in Singapore. 

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 with a strong showing include China (80 universities), the UK (58), Japan (57) and Germany (46). 

The ranking uses the same methodology as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025, but with adjusted weightings. The full methodology can be found here.

Top 10 universities for physics, chemistry and maths

1. California Institute of Technology

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

The university’s faculty members 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 of dollars on research and development.

Physics is one of the most popular undergraduate and postgraduate subjects offered by Caltech.

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.

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.

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.

5. Princeton University

The physics department at Princeton University aims to impart knowledge of the physical universe and to train students to think like a physicist – encompassing intuition, the scientific method, approximation and problem-solving skills.

Programmes on offer include engineering, physics, biophysics, computational biology and other more traditional physics courses.

In the department of chemistry, undergraduates are taught in small classes and progress to an independent senior thesis project. Students receive direct attention from faculty members throughout their course.

About 1,400 Princeton undergraduates enrol in a mathematics class every year, learning the basics of mathematical proof, calculus and number theory before progressing to more complex subjects.

Graduate studies in mathematics focus on independent research from the beginning of the programme, unlike many other doctoral courses in the US. 

6. University of California, Berkeley

Undergraduate majors in the physical sciences at the University of California, Berkeley include applied mathematics, astrophysics, earth science, geology, geophysics, mathematics, physical science, physics and statistics. Undergraduates in all disciplines are encouraged to participate in research with faculty members.

The Berkeley Science Network strives to advance under-represented students in the mathematical, physical and computer sciences, and eliminate barriers faced by those learners. It provides mentoring, networking opportunities  and professional coaching and guidance. 

7. 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 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 admits about 75 students each year. Postgraduate programmes include physics doctorates and master’s degrees in scientific computing, nanoscience and computational methods.

8. University of Oxford

The physical science course at the University of Oxford covers a range of subjects including chemistry, geology, earth sciences and physics. 

It offers three undergraduate physics degrees: the three-year BA, four-year MPhys and the four-year MPhysPhil offered jointly with the Department of Philosophy. 

For postgraduate students, the university offers a range of DPhil programmes, which are equivalent to a PhD. These cover subjects such as astrophysics, atomic and laser physics and particle physics. 

9. ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich is located in Switzerland, home to the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (Cern), the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. 

It is a specialist university for science and technology. Within the physical sciences, the university offers a range of bachelor’s programmes including materials science and physics. 

The institute has produced more than 20 Nobel Prize Laureates, including the father of modern physics and inventor of the general theory of relativity, Albert Einstein.

10. National University of Singapore

The National University of Singapore is the only university in Asia to feature among the top 10 universities for physical sciences. 

The faculty of science offers 10 main undergraduate majors. The Undergraduate Professional Internship Programme offers students the chance to undertake an internship in an industry related to their major.