2023 Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree School for You
Physical Sciences is the #19 most popular major in the country with 50,306 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 119 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best doctor's degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the physical sciences doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 15% Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools
Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for physical sciences students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the United States. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Stanford University
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Northwestern University is a great place for physical sciences students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Illinois Institute of Technology. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Full Physical Sciences at Illinois Institute of Technology Report
Out of the 119 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Rochester Institute of Technology landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Full Physical Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology Report
The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of California - Santa Barbara helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in the United States. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.
University of Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools list. UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
The University of Texas at Austin came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a very large student population.
Full Physical Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin Report
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Northeastern University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physical sciences students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Northeastern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Boston.
With a ranking of #10, Wake Forest University did quite well on this year’s best schools for physical sciences students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
With a ranking of #11, Iowa State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for physical sciences students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public college with a very large student population.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree physical sciences programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
Cornell University ranked #13 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
University of Maryland - College Park came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. UMCP is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of College Park.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Maryland - College Park
With a ranking of #15, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities did quite well on this year’s best schools for physical sciences students working on their doctor’s degree. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public school located in the large city of Minneapolis.
University of Wyoming came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools ranking. UW is a fairly large public school located in the town of Laramie.
Drexel University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree physical sciences programs. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 19 | North Carolina State University | Raleigh, NC |
| 20 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 21 | Johns Hopkins University | Baltimore, MD |
| 22 | University of Houston | Houston, TX |
| 23 | Temple University | Philadelphia, PA |
Physical Sciences by Region
View the Best Physical Sciences 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 |
More Physical Sciences Rankings
Physical Sciences Related Rankings by Major
Physical Sciences Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 21,239 |
| Physics | 13,674 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 7,821 |
| General Physical Sciences | 3,823 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 1,375 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 1,140 |
| Materials Sciences | 658 |
| Other Physical Science | 538 |
| Physics and Astronomy | 38 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Computer & Information Sciences | 254,454 |
| Engineering | 198,468 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 177,778 |
| Engineering Technologies | 85,188 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 52,396 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 NASA.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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