The number of physics bachelor’s degrees awarded in the US has increased about 5% a year over the past 15 years (see figure). In 2014 some 7526 physics bachelor’s degrees were awarded by 743 departments. Of that class, 20% were women, 6% were non-US citizens, and the median age was 22.4 years.
In all, the number of physics bachelor’s degrees has more than doubled since 1999. That increase is significantly larger than the roughly 50% rise seen for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and for total US bachelors over that time. More than a third of physics bachelors earned a double major.
The University of Washington leads in the number of physics bachelor’s degrees awarded: For the three years 2012 through 2014, it averaged 98 a year. Next was MIT, with 92, followed by the University of California, Berkeley, with 85.
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