2025 Best Biological & Physical Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

If you pursue a associate degree in biological & physical sciences, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #5 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 34 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Biological & Physical Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,503 associate degrees in biological & physical sciences during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Biological & Physical Sciences School for Your Associate Degree

The biological & physical sciences associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to biological & physical sciences students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of biological & physical sciences students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized biological & physical sciences related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for biological & physical sciences students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Biological & Physical Sciences Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Biological & Physical Sciences in the Great Lakes Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in biological & physical sciences.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for an Associate in Biological & Physical Sciences

1

Waubonsee Community College
Sugar Grove, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

287 Annual Graduates

Waubonsee Community College is a wonderful option for students pursuing an associate degree in biological & physical sciences. Located in the rural area of Sugar Grove, Waubonsee is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from Waubonsee Community College

2

Elgin Community College
Elgin, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

177 Annual Graduates

Elgin Community College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in biological & physical sciences. Located in the city of Elgin, ECC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from Elgin Community College

3

City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College
Chicago, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

28 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in biological & physical sciences needs to look into City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College. Located in the large city of Chicago, Olive-Harvey College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from City Colleges of Chicago - Olive-Harvey College

4

College of Lake County
Grayslake, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

119 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in biological & physical sciences has to check out College of Lake County. College of Lake County is a large public college located in the large suburb of Grayslake.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from College of Lake County

5

Rend Lake College
Ina, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

145 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Ina, Rend Lake College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from Rend Lake College

6

Ferris State University
Big Rapids, MI

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

29 Annual Graduates

Located in the remote town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from Ferris State University

7

Southwestern Illinois College
Belleville, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

116 Annual Graduates

SWIC is a moderately-sized public college located in the large suburb of Belleville.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from Southwestern Illinois College

8

Kishwaukee College
Malta, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

129 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Malta, Kishwaukee College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from Kishwaukee College

9

William Rainey Harper College
Palatine, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

440 Annual Graduates

Harper College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Palatine.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from William Rainey Harper College

10

Moraine Valley Community College
Palos Hills, IL

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

296 Annual Graduates

MVCC is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Palos Hills.More information about a associate in biological & physical sciences from Moraine Valley Community College

Best Biological & Physical Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best biological & physical sciences colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Michigan	410	59
Illinois	267	4,760
Wisconsin	224	0
Indiana	221	0

View All Rankings >

Biological & Physical Sciences Related Rankings by Major

Biological & Physical Sciences is one of 0 different types of Biological & Physical Science programs to choose from.

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.