2023 Best Value Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Physics Doctor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 3,218 degrees and certificates were awarded to physics students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #40 most popular major in the state.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.
The Best Value Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in California to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best value experiences for physics students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found University of California - Santa Barbara to be the best value school for physics students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in California. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UCSB are $13,581 a year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UCSD are $13,564 per year.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great value for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a very large student population.
UCLA graduate students pay an average of $13,036 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UCLA also is in the top 20% of our Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Merced. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. UC Merced is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Merced.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UC Merced are $13,207 per year.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great value for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UC Berkeley graduate students pay an average of $14,160 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
UC Berkeley also made our Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list, coming in at #3.
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University of California - Riverside landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree physics programs. Located in the large city of Riverside, UCR is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for graduate students at UCR are $13,467 per year.
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University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UC Irvine are $13,356 a year.
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With a ranking of #8, University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. UC Santa Cruz is a large public school located in the small city of Santa Cruz.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UC Santa Cruz are $13,895 a year.
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University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physics students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state graduate student at UC Davis are $13,608 a year.
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Stanford University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.
Stanford graduate students pay an average of $55,011 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
Stanford also made our Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list, coming in at #1.
Read full report on Physics at Stanford University
Request InformationBest Value Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Physics Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 392 |
| Oregon | 187 |
| Nevada | 50 |
| Hawaii | 10 |
| Alaska | 4 |
More Physics Rankings in California
Physics Related Majors for Physics
One of 8 majors within the area of study, physics has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Physics
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 7,821 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.
- 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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