2023 Most Popular Physics Doctor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Physics Doctor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 13,674 people earned a degree or certificate in physics, making the major the #69 most popular in the United States.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Physics Doctor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 191 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular doctor's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Physics program at each school on the list.
Featured schools near , edit
2023 Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Physics Doctor's Degree Colleges.
Top 25 Most Popular Schools for a Doctorate in Physics
Our analysis found Harvard University to be the most popular school for physics students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Harvard is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Cambridge.
About 26% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 74% are male.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Stanford University is a great place for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
About 17% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 83% are male.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the city of Berkeley.
Women make up 18% of the physics majors at the school.
The in-demand doctor’s degree programs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular physics schools in the United States. Located in the city of Cambridge, MIT is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 22% of the physics majors at the school.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arizona. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Of the 36 students majoring in physics at University of Arizona, 89% are male and 11% are female.
With a ranking of #6, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.
Of the 32 students majoring in physics at UIUC, 66% are male and 34% are female.
Full Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report
University of Colorado Boulder did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for physics students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public school with a very large student population.
Women make up 6% of the physics majors at the school.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Of the 29 students majoring in physics at UW Seattle, 79% are male and 21% are female.
Read full report on Physics at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree physics programs. U-M is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.
Of the 28 students majoring in physics at U-M, 57% are male and 43% are female.
Ohio State University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Ohio State is a very large public school located in the city of Columbus.
About 11% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 89% are male.
With a ranking of #10, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the large city of Madison.
Women make up 4% of the physics majors at the school.
University of Maryland - College Park ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public college with a very large student population.
Women make up 21% of the physics majors at the school.
Read full report on Physics at University of Maryland - College Park
Michigan State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree physics programs. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 9% of the physics majors at the school.
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Of the 23 students majoring in physics at UCLA, 78% are male and 22% are female.
Full Physics at University of California - Los Angeles Report
University of Rochester did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for physics students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Of the 22 students majoring in physics at University of Rochester, 82% are male and 18% are female.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree physics programs. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population.
About 14% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 86% are male.
University of California - San Diego came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a very large student population.
About 19% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 81% are male.
Read full report on Physics at University of California - San Diego
Rice University ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Rice is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.
Women make up 43% of the physics majors at the school.
California Institute of Technology landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree physics programs. Located in the city of Pasadena, Caltech is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
About 10% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 90% are male.
Duke University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Duke is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
About 20% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 80% are male.
Yale University landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree physics programs. Yale is a large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of New Haven.
About 35% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 65% are male.
Cornell University ranked #20 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Cornell is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Ithaca.
Women make up 20% of the physics majors at the school.
With a ranking of #23, University of Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Women make up 16% of the physics majors at the school.
University of Notre Dame did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for physics students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Notre Dame.
Women make up 22% of the physics majors at the school.
With a ranking of #24, Stony Brook University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. SUNY Stony Brook is a very large public school located in the suburb of Stony Brook.
Women make up 22% of the physics majors at the school.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Physics Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | University of California - Davis | Davis, CA |
| 29 | New York University | New York, NY |
| 29 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 29 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 29 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 29 | Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus | Atlanta, GA |
| 29 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 36 | University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA |
| 36 | The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX |
| 38 | University of Utah | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 38 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles, CA |
| 38 | Texas A&M University - College Station | College Station, TX |
| 38 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 38 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 38 | University of New Mexico - Main Campus | Albuquerque, NM |
Physics by Region
View the Most Popular Physics Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Majors Related to Physics
Physics is one of 8 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar 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 28 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.
_main_lecture_hall_1972.jpg){kind=link}
More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.