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Santa Barbara, CA · Physics & astronomy

Physics & astronomy at UC Santa Barbara

UC Santa Barbara graduates about 183 physics & astronomy majors a year, 3% of its graduating class. That puts it 66th of 525 schools we score for physics & astronomy, a standout program at 82 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $85,000 four years out, 1.11× what the same major pays nationally. Research spending in the field runs about $38 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

82/100Standout#66 of 525 for physics & astronomy →
Graduates a year1833% of the class
Median pay 4 years out$85,0001.11× the same major nationally
Research in the field$38Ma year, NSF
Admit rate38%whole school

Around UC Santa Barbara

The East Asian Library in Davidson Library, UCSB
East Asian Library of UCSBPhoto: AndyHe829 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
the Ti-Nspire CX ii CAS
CxcasiiPhoto: Prezi2 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Oneweb mission. This one involved the booster returning to base.
Spacex Launch as seen from UCSB (54239527832)Photo: Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0 · source
Lunar Eclipse at UCSB
Lunar Eclipse at UCSB (51203940477)Photo: Glenn Beltz from Goleta, CA, USA · CC BY 2.0 · source

Where physics & astronomy happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Military Science, Engineering Science, Charles T. Munger Physics Residence, Marine Science Institute, Social Sciences and Media Studies, Physical Sciences North, Physical Sciences South, BioScience Annex, Life Sciences, Ocean Science Education, Marine Science Research Building.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 125 · Student housing 31 · Dorm 25 · Athletics 10 · Arts 7 · Dining 5.

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Nearby in the physics & astronomy ranking

  1. Oberlin College 84
  2. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 83
  3. University of Minnesota–Twin Cities 83
  4. Franklin & Marshall College 83
  5. Michigan State University 82
  6. University of California San Diego 82
  7. Macalester College 82
  8. University of California, Irvine 81

Other strong majors at UC Santa Barbara

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares UC Santa Barbara 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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