Worcester, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs, with tuition ranging from $58,867 to $68,432 per year for indexed programs. Worcester has a population of about 205,501. Median household income is $67,544 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Worcester, MA metro area, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $153,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Physics Schools to Worcester
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer physics programs near Worcester, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Worcester 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 Worcester.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$103,470
Avg net price
$43,071/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 54
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
40%
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,381
Avg net price
$28,714/yr
TuitionIn‑state$58,867
Out‑of‑state$58,867
Key stats
- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 55
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$90,543
Avg net price
$38,782/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 30
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts physics page.
Physics Wages Near Worcester
Worcester is part of the Worcester, MA metro area (BLS area code 49340). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Physicists |
$153,990 |
Worcester, MA |
$150,234 |
| Biochemists and Biophysicists |
$125,420 |
Worcester, MA |
$122,361 |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary |
$101,620 |
Worcester, MA |
$99,141 |
| Mathematicians |
$104,190 |
MA statewide |
$101,649 |
| Atmospheric and Space Scientists |
$108,050 |
MA statewide |
$105,415 |
| Engineers, All Other |
$108,220 |
Worcester, MA |
$105,580 |
| Software Developers |
$146,950 |
Worcester, MA |
$143,366 |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education |
$87,050 |
Worcester, MA |
$84,927 |
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.
Worcester at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
205,501 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$67,544 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
34.1% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
102.5 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Worcester-Area Cities With Physics Programs
- Marlborough, MA – 14.4 mi away (39,697 pop)
- Leominster, MA – 17.4 mi away (119,538 pop)
- Fitchburg, MA – 22.2 mi away (40,414 pop)
- Gardner, MA – 23.5 mi away (20,430 pop)
- Woonsocket, RI – 24.4 mi away (41,406 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited physics schools are near Worcester, MA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering physics programs near Worcester. The closest is Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, MA (0.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Wellesley College (25.7 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying physics roles near Worcester?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near Worcester are: Physicists ($153,990), Software Developers ($146,950), Biochemists and Biophysicists ($125,420). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Marlborough instead of Worcester?
Marlborough, MA is 14.4 miles from Worcester 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 Worcester an affordable place to study physics?
Worcester’s median household income of $67,544 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Worcester while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Massachusetts 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.
Learn More About Physics Programs
Other Programs Available in Worcester
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Worcester:
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- Journalism programs in Worcester, MA
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- Technical Communication programs in Worcester, MA
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- International Business programs in Worcester, MA
- Organizational Leadership programs in Worcester, MA
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- Operations Management programs in Worcester, MA
- Public Administration programs in Worcester, MA
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- Recreation Management programs in Worcester, MA
- Retail Management programs in Worcester, MA
- Risk Management programs in Worcester, MA
- Statistics programs in Worcester, MA
- Taxation programs in Worcester, MA
- Corrections programs in Worcester, MA
- Crime Analysis programs in Worcester, MA
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Worcester, MA
- Criminology programs in Worcester, MA
- Cybercrime programs in Worcester, MA
- Emergency Management programs in Worcester, MA
- Fire Science programs in Worcester, MA
- Forensic Science programs in Worcester, MA
- Legal Services programs in Worcester, MA
- Legal Studies programs in Worcester, MA
- Paralegal programs in Worcester, MA
- Security Management programs in Worcester, MA
- Cloud Computing programs in Worcester, MA
- Computer Engineering programs in Worcester, MA
- Innovation programs in Worcester, MA
- Mobile App Development programs in Worcester, MA
- Software Development programs in Worcester, MA
- User Experience programs in Worcester, MA
- Web Development programs in Worcester, MA
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Worcester, MA
- Machine Learning programs in Worcester, MA
- Supply Chain Management programs in Worcester, MA
- Data Analytics programs in Worcester, MA
- Public Health programs in Worcester, MA
- Human Resources programs in Worcester, MA
- Project Management programs in Worcester, MA
- Special Education programs in Worcester, MA
- Homeland Security programs in Worcester, MA
- Marketing programs in Worcester, MA
- Finance programs in Worcester, MA
- Kinesiology programs in Worcester, MA
- Sports Management programs in Worcester, MA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Worcester, MA
- Elementary Education programs in Worcester, MA
- Biology programs in Worcester, MA
- Communications programs in Worcester, MA
- Graphic Design programs in Worcester, MA
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- Business Administration programs in Worcester, MA
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- Engineering programs in Worcester, MA
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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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