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Academics

Our Drive for Discovery Makes Us Leaders in Established and Emerging Fields

At the heart of the university—one of the top research institutions in the world—our physical sciences faculty and students ask fundamental questions about the universe and develop the tools to answer those questions. The result? Powerful innovation and discovery.

The Division of Physical Sciences at UC San Diego is committed to inclusive excellence in research and teaching, providing the resources and environment for all our community members to excel. Our priorities support the Chancellor’s strategic goals as we focus on student success, growing our faculty ranks and enabling new research directions.

Our reputation grows through the success of our students, to whom we offer a wide range of undergraduate degrees and top-ranking graduate programs. Our world-renowned faculty contribute to our students’ success through mentorship. We also support California’s need for qualified science teachers through the California Teach Science and Math Initiative.

Undergraduate Programs

In addition to the wide variety of majors and minors available through our departments, we offer interdisciplinary programs in science and mathematics education.

Graduate Programs

Each of our top 20 ranked departments offers graduate degrees. Additionally, graduate students can pursue interdisciplinary study in computational science, materials science, mathematics and science education and quantitative biology.

Researcher looking at beaker