Best Physics Schools Near Brownsville, TX (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Brownsville, Texas has 2 accredited schools offering physics programs. Brownsville has a population of about 188,023. Median household income is $48,675 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Texas, the top-earning physics-related role is Physicists at a median $184,040 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Physics Schools to Brownsville

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer physics programs near Brownsville, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Brownsville 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:

  • 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 Brownsville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Edinburg, TX 49.3 miles from Brownsville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,620
Avg net price $4,831/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 98

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

South Texas College

McAllen, TX 51.7 miles from Brownsville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,788
Avg net price $1,751/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 59%
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, TX 118.8 miles from Brownsville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
43.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,865
Avg net price $15,225/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 70

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Trinity University

San Antonio, TX 247.5 miles from Brownsville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,668
Avg net price $23,464/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

St. Mary's University

San Antonio, TX 248.1 miles from Brownsville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
53.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 98%
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,955
Avg net price $21,145/yr
Tuition
In‑state$37,434
Out‑of‑state$37,434
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 51

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

The University of Texas at San Antonio

San Antonio, TX 257.8 miles from Brownsville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,131
Avg net price $10,836/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 120

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX 270.5 miles from Brownsville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,906
Avg net price $16,805/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 132

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Rice University

Houston, TX 286.0 miles from Brownsville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
93.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 8%
Graduation rate 95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,718
Avg net price $13,370/yr
Tuition
In‑state$64,144
Out‑of‑state$64,144
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Texas schools on the Texas physics page.

Physics Wages Near Brownsville

Brownsville is part of the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area (BLS area code 15180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Physicists $184,040 TX statewide $214,000
Biochemists and Biophysicists $97,510 TX statewide $113,384
Physics Teachers, Postsecondary $97,760 TX statewide $113,674
Mathematicians N/A TX statewide –
Atmospheric and Space Scientists $84,990 TX statewide $98,826
Engineers, All Other $129,990 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX $151,151
Software Developers $106,990 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX $124,407
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $62,320 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX $72,465

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.

Brownsville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 188,023 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $48,675 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 22.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 86.0 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Brownsville-Area Cities With Physics Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited physics schools are near Brownsville, TX?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering physics programs near Brownsville. The closest is The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, TX (49.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is South Texas College (51.7 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying physics roles near Brownsville?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying physics-related roles near Brownsville are: Physicists ($184,040), Engineers, All Other ($129,990), Software Developers ($106,990). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in San Benito instead of Brownsville?

San Benito, TX is 14.8 miles from Brownsville 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 Brownsville an affordable place to study physics?

Brownsville’s median household income of $48,675 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Brownsville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Brownsville

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Brownsville:

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.

Back to Best Physics Schools in Texas: Online Programs (2026)