Share this with your social networks Share Print this page Print Contact us Contact

Program Rankings — Physics, Boston University

Find An Online Program Now

Quality Ranking
The National Research Council ranked programs based on 2 measures of quality. They generated 500 different rankings to simulate the effects of using different sets of evaluators and ranking programs in different years. Learn more
Survey-Based Quality Ranking (Source: NRC, 2010) ?
The survey-based quality measure is one of two estimates of overall program quality prepared by the NRC. Both measures use the same data on 20 key variables, but they use different methods to determine which variables are the most important predictors of program quality. For the survey-based measure, the relative weight of each variable is based on input from about 50 faculty members in each field. Each faculty member was asked to identify the most relevant variables in assessing program quality and to give each one a numeric value according to its importance. Learn more.
Histogram of rankings ?	Quality ranking (survey-based) out of 161 Physics programs
The chart shows a histogram of the results of the NRC's 500 simulated rankings. The horizontal axis shows the program's rank, and the vertical axis shows how many times the program had the given rank in the 500 simulations. Learn more
Range of rankings ?	8-39
The 5th and 95th percentile rankings from the NRC's 500 simulated rankings.
Regression-Based Quality Ranking (Source: NRC, 2010) ?
The regression-based quality measure is one of two estimates of overall program quality prepared by the NRC. Both measures use the same data on 20 key variables, but they use different methods to determine which variables are the most important predictors of program quality. For the regression-based measure, the relative weight of each variable is derived input from about 50 faculty members in each field. The faculty assessed a random selection of graduate programs on a scale of 1 to 6 without specifying the their assessment criteria. Those variables that were most often associated with highly regarded programs received the most weight. Learn more.
Histogram of rankings ?	Quality ranking (regression-based) out of 161 Physics programs
The chart shows a histogram of the results of the NRC's 500 simulated rankings. The horizontal axis shows the program's rank, and the vertical axis shows how many times the program had the given rank in the 500 simulations. Learn more
Range of rankings ?	11-39
The 5th and 95th percentile rankings from the NRC's 500 simulated rankings.
GRE Scores (Source: NRC, 2003–2005)
Average Quantitative GRE ?	797
The Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is commonly required as part of the graduate school application process. The quantitative section of the test is scored on a scale of 200 to 800. Learn more.

* Value is missing. The value shown is based on the average for other programs in the same field. Learn more.

† Data are for all Physics degree recipients from Boston University and may include graduates from more than one program.

The graduate school rankings on PhDs.org have been made possible by grants from The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
The National Postdoctoral Association and The Center for Science and the Media have served as the project's fiscal sponsors.