by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2021-2022, 642 people earned their degree in materials sciences, making the major the 265th most popular in the United States. In , materials sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $64,925 and had an average of $23,224 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 209 materials sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,735 and $124,256 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major” ranking analyzed 42 colleges that offered a degree in materials sciences. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their materials sciences program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major”.
Out of the 42 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Norfolk State University landed the #1 spot on the list. Norfolk State University is a medium-sized school located in Norfolk, Virginia that handed out 7 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
Read more about Materials Sciences at Norfolk State University
Out of the 42 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Montana Technological University landed the #2 spot on the list. This small school is located in Butte, Montana, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s materials science degrees to 17 students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, 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%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 23 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Materials Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Delaware. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major. University of Delaware is a large school located in Newark, Delaware that handed out 9 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, 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 91%.
With a ranking of #6, University of South Dakota did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. Vermillion, South Dakota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s materials science degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
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%.
Read full report on Materials Sciences at University of South Dakota
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking, coming in at #7. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 29 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 more about Materials Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Riverside did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Materials Sciences at University of California - Riverside
With a ranking of #9, Washington University in St Louis did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. Saint Louis, Missouri is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s materials science degrees to 4 students in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Washington University in St Louis Materials Sciences Report
Vanderbilt University landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking. Vanderbilt is a fairly large school located in Nashville, Tennessee that handed out 7 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
University of Arkansas landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking. UARK is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 8 doctorate’s materials science degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.2%, 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 87%.
Stevens Institute of Technology came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking. Hoboken, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s materials science degrees to 5 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.4%, 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.
University of New Mexico - Main Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. UNM is a large public school situated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It awarded 7 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 ranking of #14, University of Rochester did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. University of Rochester is located in Rochester, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s materials science degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 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 0.4%, 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 91%.
Read more about Materials Sciences at University of Rochester
Michigan State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking. Michigan State is a large school located in East Lansing, Michigan that handed out 6 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University at Buffalo did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Buffalo, New York, this large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified doctorate’s materials science students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #17, Youngstown State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school situated in Youngstown, Ohio. It awarded 4 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% 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%.
Central Michigan University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking. Mount Pleasant, Michigan is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s materials science degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, Oregon State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. Oregon State is a large public school situated in Corvallis, Oregon. It awarded 4 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.
University of Vermont ranked #20 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. UVM is a fairly large school located in Burlington, Vermont that handed out 4 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #21, University of Arizona did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s materials science degrees to 1 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Columbia University in the City of New York ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. Columbia University in the City of New York is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. 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. With a freshman retention rate of 99%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Materials Sciences at Columbia University in the City of New York
The University of Alabama did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking, coming in at #23. Located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, this large public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s materials science students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.
Rowan University ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major list. Rowan is a fairly large school located in Glassboro, New Jersey that handed out 1 doctorate’s materials science degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of Southern California landed the #25 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Materials Science Major ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s materials science students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Southern California Materials Sciences Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies