by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in New York to determine which ones were the best for physics students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 191 doctor's degrees in physics during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of physics for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality physics program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for physics students working on their doctor's degree.
The physics school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in New York.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in physics.
It's difficult to beat Cornell University if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in physics. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca.More information about a doctorate in physics from Cornell University
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in physics. Located in the large city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in physics from Columbia University in the City of New York
Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in physics needs to look into University of Rochester. Located in the midsize city of Rochester, University of Rochester is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in physics from University of Rochester
It is difficult to beat Rochester Institute of Technology if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in physics. RIT is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Rochester.More information about a doctorate in physics from Rochester Institute of Technology
Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physics from New York University
Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse.More information about a doctorate in physics from Syracuse University
Located in the large suburb of Stony Brook, SUNY Stony Brook is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physics from Stony Brook University
Explore all the Best Physics Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 176 | 87 |
| Maryland | 119 | 43 |
| New Jersey | 115 | 33 |
| District of Columbia | 81 | 16 |
| Delaware | 53 | 9 |
One of 8 majors within the Physical Sciences area of study, Physics has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Physics | 156 |
| Optics/Optical Sciences | 32 |
| Acoustics | 3 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 188 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 48 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 13 |
| Materials Sciences | 11 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 8 |
| General Physical Sciences | 2 |
| Other Physical Science | 2 |
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