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Most Popular Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in California

13 Colleges
$81,190 Avg Salary

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 Most Popular 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 13 schools in California to see which doctor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Physics program at each school on the list.

Check out the physics doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the most popular school in California for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Of the 41 students majoring in physics at Stanford, 83% are male and 17% are female.

Full Physics at Stanford University Report

Out of the 13 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 18% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 82% are male.

Read More…

Out of the 13 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 22% of the physics majors at the school.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pasadena.

Of the 21 students majoring in physics at Caltech, 90% are male and 10% are female.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - San Diego is a great place for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. UCSD is a very large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Of the 21 students majoring in physics at UCSD, 81% are male and 19% are female.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - San Diego

University of California - Riverside came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public college with a very large student population.

Women make up 22% of the physics majors at the school.

Read More…

University of California - Davis came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.

Women make up 12% of the physics majors at the school.

Full Physics at University of California - Davis Report

University of California - Irvine 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 #8 on the list. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 27% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 73% are male.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Irvine

University of Southern California landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular doctor’s degree physics programs. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Women make up 13% of the physics majors at the school.

Full Physics at University of Southern California Report

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 18% of the students majoring in physics at the school are women while 82% are male.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Santa Barbara

Best Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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

One of 8 majors within the area of study, physics has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 13 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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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