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Physics Doctor's Degree

Physics Doctor’s Degrees

There are 812 schools in the United States where you can earn adoctor’s degree in Physics.

Education Levels of Physics Majors

In the most recent reporting year, 12,910 students earned theirPhysics majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Physics at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Associate’s Degree 1,493
Bachelor’s Degree 7,123
Master’s Degree 2,380
Doctor’s Degree (this page) 1,914

Earnings of Physics Majors With Doctor’s Degrees (All Award Levels)

The median salary for graduates holding adoctor’s degree in Physics of $75,002 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

A lot of factors can contribute to this number, such as the location of your workplace and the availability of other perks and bonuses.

Years After Graduation Median Earnings
1 year $50,456
4 years $75,002
5 years $86,291

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker (program-wide, all award levels).

Student Debt (All Award Levels)

The data on debt ranges for Physics majors who have their doctor’s degree is not currently available.

There are 959 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in Physics. Learn more about the most popular below:

The most popular school in the United States for Physics students seeking a doctor's degree is University of California-Santa Barbara. During the most recent year for which we have data, 213 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Berkeley comes in at #2 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 174 doctor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#3

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ

University of Arizona comes in at #3 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 166 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 166 doctor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#5

New York University

New York, NY

New York University comes in at #5 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 157 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Colorado Boulder is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 152 doctor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Los Angeles comes in at #7 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 150 doctor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

The University of Texas at Austin comes in at #8 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 133 doctor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Wisconsin-Madison is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 128 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#10

Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD

Johns Hopkins University comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 121 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Ohio State University-Main Campus comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 120 doctor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#12

University of Chicago

Chicago, IL

University of Chicago is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 120 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-San Diego is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 117 doctor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#14

Harvard University

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 113 doctor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#15

University of Rochester

Rochester, NY

University of Rochester comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 113 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor comes in at #16 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 111 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Maryland-College Park comes in at #17 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. This school awarded 110 doctor's degrees in Physics in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#18

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania is a popular choice for Physics majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 109 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology comes in at #19 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 102 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Physics here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of California-Irvine comes in at #20 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Physics. During the most recent year for which we have data, 98 people received their doctor's degree in Physics from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Physics Majors to Study

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Physics, General 11,944
Physics, Other 482
Optics/Optical Sciences 249
Acoustics 175
Theoretical and Mathematical Physics 37

Below are some popular majors similar to Physics that also offer doctor’s degrees.

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Chemistry 19,434
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences 7,622
Physical Sciences, General 2,661
Astronomy and Astrophysics 1,580
Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology 1,341

References

The racial-ethnic minority student count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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