A bachelor’s in physics is a calculus-based degree in mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, and quantum mechanics, with a laboratory requirement running alongside the theory. Fully online versions are uncommon. The lecture and problem-solving half of the degree transfers to online delivery without much loss; the laboratory half does not, so most programs marketed as online physics degrees are hybrid, or they are general science and applied science degrees with a physics concentration.
That is not a reason to dismiss them. It is a reason to read the catalog rather than the landing page. This page covers the degree titles you will encounter, what the sequence actually requires, how schools handle labs at a distance, and what the credential leads to on its own.
Quick answers
Can you get a bachelor’s in physics online?
Sometimes, and usually in hybrid form. IPEDS counted 678 institutions reporting bachelor’s-or-higher completions in physics fields in 2024, and 542 institutions reporting distance-education program offerings (IPEDS 2024), but those distance offerings span the whole catalog rather than physics specifically. Confirm with the department that the physics major itself, including its labs, can be completed in the format you need.
What is the difference between a BS and a BA in physics?
The BS is the standard preparation for graduate school and technical employment: the full upper-division sequence, more mathematics, and usually more laboratory and computation. The BA keeps the physics core but leaves room for a second field, a language, or education coursework. Students headed for a physics doctorate normally take the BS. Students headed for teaching, law, business, or a second major often take the BA on purpose.
How much math is in the degree?
A lot, and it starts immediately. Expect differential and integral calculus, multivariable calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra, with many programs adding a mathematical methods course. If you have not taken calculus, budget a preparatory year before the physics sequence begins.
How many credits is a bachelor’s degree?
Approximately 120 semester hours, typically four years full-time. The physics major itself is usually 40 to 50 of those credits, and it is strictly sequenced, which matters more online than on campus.
Can I become a physicist with just a bachelor’s?
Generally not under that job title. Research positions carrying the physicist title are typically doctorate-level. A bachelor’s leads to engineering, software, data, instrumentation, technician, and teaching work, and it is a strong application to graduate programs in physics, engineering, computer science, or applied mathematics. See how to become a physicist for the full path.
Is a physics bachelor’s respected by employers?
Yes, as evidence of quantitative ability, though few job postings name it. Employers hire physics graduates into roles titled engineer, analyst, developer, or specialist. The graduates who land those roles fastest are the ones who pair the degree with programming, an internship, or an engineering minor.
At a Glance
- Common degree titles: BS in Physics, BA in Physics, BS in Applied Physics, BS in Engineering Physics, general science degree with a physics concentration
- Typical duration: 4 years full-time
- Credits: Approximately 120 semester hours
- Core skills: Calculus-based problem solving, laboratory measurement and error analysis, computational modeling, technical writing
- Accreditation: No programmatic accreditor for physics; verify institutional accreditation. ABET accreditation applies only if the degree is an engineering degree
For a full map of this program area, start here: Physics Program Guide
Schools to compare
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$102,772
Avg net price
$12,116/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 64
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$124,080
Avg net price
$13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 100
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 127
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$110,066
Avg net price
$6,128/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 47
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$128,566
Avg net price
$16,075/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 30
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
7%
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,735
Avg net price
$14,398/yr
TuitionIn‑state$67,832
Out‑of‑state$67,832
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$88,665
Avg net price
$17,716/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
The main undergraduate pathways
BS in Physics
The standard version. You take the introductory calculus-based sequence, then classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, and a set of electives such as optics, solid state, or nuclear and particle physics. Laboratory courses run throughout, and most programs end with a research project. If graduate school in physics is even a possibility, this is the degree that keeps that door open.
BA in Physics
Same physics core, fewer required upper-division electives, more room outside the major. This is the sensible choice if you intend to teach high school physics, combine physics with another field, or use the degree as quantitative training rather than as doctoral preparation. Verify which upper-division courses the BA drops, because quantum mechanics and mathematical methods are the two that graduate admissions committees look for.
Applied physics and engineering physics
These degrees keep the physics core and add engineering coursework: circuits, materials, instrumentation, or optics. Engineering physics programs are sometimes ABET-accredited as engineering degrees, which matters if you may eventually pursue professional engineering licensure. Compare against a straight engineering degree or electrical engineering if design work is the goal.
General science degree with a physics concentration
The most common form an online physics option actually takes. A general studies, natural science, or applied science degree with a physics concentration delivers the introductory sequence and some upper-division courses without the full major. It is a legitimate degree and a poor preparation for a physics doctorate. Read the course list against a BS course list before assuming they are equivalent.
Typical coursework in a bachelor’s program
| Course Topic |
What You Learn |
| Introductory Physics I and II (calculus-based) |
Mechanics, waves, electricity and magnetism, with laboratory |
| Modern Physics |
Special relativity, early quantum theory, atomic and nuclear structure |
| Classical Mechanics |
Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations, oscillations, central forces |
| Electricity and Magnetism |
Electrostatics, magnetostatics, and Maxwell’s equations |
| Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics |
Entropy, ensembles, and the link between microscopic states and bulk properties |
| Quantum Mechanics |
Wave functions, operators, angular momentum, and perturbation methods |
| Mathematical Methods for Physicists |
Vector calculus, series solutions, complex variables, and transforms |
| Computational Physics |
Numerical methods and simulation, usually in Python |
| Advanced Laboratory |
Instrumentation, measurement technique, uncertainty, and formal lab reports |
| Senior research project |
An original investigation, written up and presented |
Skills you may build
- Setting up and solving problems that do not come with a stated method
- Estimating, and knowing how wrong an estimate is likely to be
- Measuring physical quantities and reporting uncertainty honestly
- Writing and debugging numerical code that models a physical system
- Reading a technical paper closely enough to reproduce part of it
- Explaining a quantitative result to someone who does not share your background
Prerequisites and course sequencing
Physics is the most tightly sequenced undergraduate major most students will encounter, and online delivery magnifies the risk. Before you enroll, confirm:
- Where you place in the mathematics sequence, and whether calculus is available online in the same term you need it
- How often each upper-division physics course runs online, and in which terms
- Whether quantum mechanics and electricity and magnetism are offered every year or every other year
- Which laboratory courses require in-person attendance, how long each session lasts, and where
- Whether the senior research project can be completed remotely or through a local placement
Missing one offering of a once-a-year course can add a full year. Map the entire sequence, term by term, before you commit.
How labs are handled at a distance
Schools use four approaches, sometimes in combination. Home lab kits, shipped with equipment and a proctoring arrangement, cover introductory mechanics and circuits reasonably well. Remote-instrument labs let you operate real hardware over a network, common for optics and radiation measurement. Simulation-based labs are honest about being simulations and are usually paired with something physical. On-campus lab intensives compress a semester of advanced lab into a week or two of scheduled sessions, and they are the arrangement most likely to require travel.
Ask specifically about the advanced laboratory course. Introductory labs adapt; advanced lab, where you learn instrumentation and measurement technique, is the one schools struggle to deliver remotely. How online physics degrees work covers each format in more detail.
Transfer credits and degree planning
Transfer credit can shorten a physics bachelor’s substantially, especially for general education and the introductory sequence. Rules vary by institution, so confirm:
- The maximum number of transfer credits accepted
- The minimum grade required for a course to transfer
- Whether a laboratory course taken elsewhere satisfies the lab requirement, or only the lecture
- Whether upper-division physics credits transfer at all, since many programs restrict them
- Residency requirements, meaning a minimum number of credits completed at the institution
Community college calculus and introductory physics are the most reliably transferable pieces. See affordable online physics degrees for how transfer credit affects total cost.
Accreditation and program quality checks
There is no programmatic accreditor for physics degrees. Verify that the institution holds accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor through the U.S. Department of Education database.
Professional societies in physics publish program data and career resources, but membership and society listings are not accreditation and do not evaluate degree quality. ABET accreditation is relevant only when the degree is an engineering degree, such as engineering physics.
What the bachelor’s leads to on its own
Physicists had a median annual wage of $172,250 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS), and that figure describes a largely doctorate-holding occupation with 1,700 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Read it as information about a research career, not as a starting salary.
The bachelor’s-level outcomes are different occupations. Engineers, all other, had a median annual wage of $122,930 with 9,300 annual openings, and software developers had a median annual wage of $135,980 with 15.8 percent projected growth and 115,200 annual openings (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 OEWS; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034). Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education, had a median annual wage of $72,040 with 66,200 annual openings, and physics is a shortage subject in many districts, though a state teaching license is required on top of the degree.
Compare degree options:
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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