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Evanston, IL · Physics & astronomy

Physics & astronomy at Northwestern

Northwestern graduates about 25 physics & astronomy majors a year, 1% of its graduating class. That puts it 14th of 525 schools we score for physics & astronomy, a standout program at 94 out of 100. Research spending in the field runs about $57 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

94/100Standout#14 of 525 for physics & astronomy →
Graduates a year251% of the class
Research in the field$57Ma year, NSF
Admit rate7%whole school
SAT middle 50%1490–1570whole school

Around Northwestern

A photo of the interior of Dearborn Observatory. The dome is open, the red light
Dearborn Telescope with open domePhoto: Jackricono · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
The Shakespeare Garden in Evanston (1915). It was established by the Garden Club
Shakespeare Garden (8105928197)Photo: Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Aggelos Katsaggelos
Aggelos KatsaggelosPhoto: Leandros89 · CC0 · source
This represents what PDMS looks like.
FabricwithinPDMSPhoto: Ih2283 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Where physics & astronomy happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Dearborn Observatory, Pancoe-ENH Life Sciences Pavilion, Seeley G. Mudd Science and Engineering Library, Hogan Biological Sciences Building.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 96 · Dorm 44 · Fraternity or sorority house 13 · Arts 8 · Chapel 5 · Athletics 3.

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Nearby in the physics & astronomy ranking

  1. Dartmouth College 95
  2. Johns Hopkins University 95
  3. Carnegie Mellon University 94
  4. Brown University 94
  5. University of Rochester 93
  6. Case Western Reserve University 92
  7. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor 91
  8. Wesleyan University 91

Other strong majors at Northwestern

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Northwestern with every school we score in physics & astronomy. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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