2023 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics
18
Ranked Colleges
55
Degrees Awarded
$37,100
Avg Cost*
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Engineering & Applied Physics is the 448th most popular major in the country with 994 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 55 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,260 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate” ranking, we looked at 18 colleges that offer a degree in engineering and applied physics. To top this list, a school must have a successful engineering and applied physics program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate”.
Top 18 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cornell University. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate list. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s applied physics degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Cornell University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Rice University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate. Rice University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 8 doctorate’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Rice
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of Technology. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate list. Caltech is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at California Institute of Technology
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia University in the City of New York. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate list. New York, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s applied physics degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Columbia University in the City of New York
Out of the 18 schools in the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Northwestern University
Harvard University ranked #6 on this year’s Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate list. Harvard University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Harvard University
University of California - San Diego ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate list. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of California - San Diego
Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate ranking. AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management is a public institution located in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management
Yale University landed the #9 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate ranking. Yale is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Haven, Connecticut. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Yale
With a ranking of #10, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate list. Located in Daytona Beach, Florida, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach
With a ranking of #10, Naval Postgraduate School did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate list. Monterey, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s applied physics degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Naval Postgraduate School
University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate list. Located in Charlottesville, Virginia, this large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified doctorate’s applied physics students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at University of Virginia - Main Campus
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #13. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 doctorate’s applied physics degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at University of California - Davis
With a ranking of #13, Brown University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate list. Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Brown
Stevens Institute of Technology landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate ranking. Stevens is a private not-for-profit institution located in Hoboken, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Stevens Institute of Technology
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #13. University of Oklahoma is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 5 doctorate’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Engineering & Applied Physics Report
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #13. This medium-sized school is located in Troy, New York, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s applied physics degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Applied Physics Major for a Doctorate ranking. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Worcester, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 95%.
Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at WPI
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.
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