Best Physicist programs in Minnesota, ranked by enrollment
Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and.
18 schools in Minnesota run programs that feed this job, graduating 269 people a year. The job pays a median of $171,220 in Minnesota across about 110 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Minnesota that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
6 programs in Minnesota that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Minnesota (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Minnesota page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physics, Generalmain feeder CIP 40.0801In Minnesota → | 223 | 82.9% | 17 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 2 | CIP 40.0202In Minnesota → | 29 | 10.8% | 1 | $39,728 | $24,678 |
| 3 | Atomic/Molecular Physicsmain feeder CIP 40.0802In Minnesota → | 7 | 2.6% | 1 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 4 | Engineering Physics/Applied Physicsmain feeder CIP 14.1201In Minnesota → | 6 | 2.2% | 3 | $57,457 | $24,706 |
| 5 | Physics, Othermain feeder CIP 40.0899In Minnesota → | 2 | 0.7% | 2 | $47,156 | $23,490 |
| 6 | CIP 51.2205In Minnesota → | 2 | 0.7% | 1 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
Top 18 schools in Minnesota
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 1 of the 18 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 4 feeder programs | 98 | Physics, General | $54,350 | 85% | — | 80% |
| 2 | Bethel University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Physics, General | — | 71% | $25,225 | 88% |
| 3 | Carleton College Northfield, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Physics, General | — | 90% | $18,669 | 20% |
| 4 | St Olaf College Northfield, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Physics, General | — | 84% | $18,124 | 48% |
| 5 | University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 20 | Physics, General | — | 65% | — | 89% |
| 6 | Gustavus Adolphus College Saint Peter, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Physics, General | — | 77% | $21,607 | 61% |
| 7 | Macalester College Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Physics, General | — | 87% | $21,441 | 29% |
| 8 | University of St Thomas Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Physics, General | — | 76% | $28,888 | 85% |
| 9 | Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Physics, General | — | 54% | — | 88% |
| 10 | Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Physics, General | — | 61% | $23,425 | 63% |
| 11 | Saint Johns University Collegeville, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 7 | Physics, General | — | 75% | $19,900 | 91% |
| 12 | Augsburg University Minneapolis, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Physics, General | — | 52% | $23,585 | 82% |
| 13 | Hamline University Saint Paul, MN Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 5 | Physics, General | — | 60% | $20,981 | 88% |
| 14 | Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN Public · 2 feeder programs | 4 | Physics, General | — | 57% | — | 59% |
| 15 | University of Minnesota - Morris Morris, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Physics, General | — | 63% | — | 75% |
| 16 | Winona State University Winona, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Physics, General | — | 57% | — | 75% |
| 17 | College of Saint Benedict Saint Joseph, MN Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Physics, Other | — | 77% | $22,583 | 92% |
| 18 | Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Physics, General | — | 40% | — | 95% |
All 18 schools in Minnesota
Every school in Minnesota with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Minnesota - Twin Cities | Minneapolis | Public | 98 | 4 |
| Bethel University | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| Carleton College | Northfield | Private not-for-profit | 22 | 1 |
| St Olaf College | Northfield | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 1 |
| University of Minnesota - Duluth | Duluth | Public | 20 | 2 |
| Gustavus Adolphus College | Saint Peter | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 1 |
| Macalester College | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| University of St Thomas | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 12 | 1 |
| Minnesota State University - Mankato | Mankato | Public | 9 | 1 |
| Concordia College at Moorhead | Moorhead | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
| Saint Johns University | Collegeville | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 2 |
| Augsburg University | Minneapolis | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Hamline University | Saint Paul | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 2 |
| Minnesota State University Moorhead | Moorhead | Public | 4 | 2 |
| University of Minnesota - Morris | Morris | Public | 2 | 1 |
What physicists earn in Minnesota
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $172,250. Minnesota pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Minnesota
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Physicists page.
How to become a Physicist
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Minnesota
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 14 majors mapped to Physicists13 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 14.1201Engineering Physics/Applied Physics
- 40.0202Astrophysics
- 40.0801Physics, General
- 40.0802Atomic/Molecular Physics
- 40.0804Elementary Particle Physics
- 40.0805Plasma and High-Temperature Physics(no graduates reported)
- 40.0806Nuclear Physics
- 40.0807Optics/Optical Sciences
- 40.0808Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
- 40.0809Acoustics
- 40.0810Theoretical and Mathematical Physics
- 40.0899Physics, Other
- 40.1101Physics and Astronomy
- 51.2205Health/Medical Physics
Common questions
Answers for people weighing physicists programs in Minnesota.
What degree do you need to become a Physicist?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Physics, General, which awarded 223 degrees in Minnesota in 2024-25, 82.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Physicist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Engineering Physics, Public Health. Together they graduate about 269 people a year in Minnesota.
How much do physicists earn in Minnesota?+
The median is $171,220 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.6% below the U.S. median of $172,250. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for physicists growing?+
BLS projects a +4.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 1,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Minnesota?+
18 institutions in Minnesota reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do physicists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Physicist, Scientist, Health Physicist, Research Scientist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-2012.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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