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Best Physics Schools Near Emporia, KS (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Emporia, Kansas has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs. Emporia has a population of about 24,098. Median household income is $52,787 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Kansas, the top-earning physics-related role is Software Developers at a median $113,420 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Physics Schools to Emporia
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer physics programs near Emporia, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Emporia city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
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.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Emporia.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Kansas schools on the Kansas physics page.
Physics Wages Near Emporia
Occupation
Median Annual Wage (Kansas, statewide)
Physicists
N/A
Biochemists and Biophysicists
$97,850
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary
$97,140
Mathematicians
N/A
Atmospheric and Space Scientists
$109,300
Engineers, All Other
$76,100
Software Developers
$113,420
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$59,920
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
How many accredited physics schools are near Emporia, KS?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near Emporia. The closest is Emporia State University in Emporia, KS (1.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Kansas (63.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying physics roles in Kansas?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles in Kansas are: Software Developers ($113,420), Atmospheric and Space Scientists ($109,300), Biochemists and Biophysicists ($97,850). Wages for Emporia workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Topeka instead of Emporia?
Topeka, KS is 51.3 miles from Emporia and has its own set of local physics programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Emporia an affordable place to study physics?
Emporia’s median household income of $52,787 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Emporia while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kansas public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
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.
