2025 Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

If you pursue a doctor's degree in physics, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #16 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 2 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of physics. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 93 doctor's degrees in physics during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of doctorate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their doctor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to physics students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other physics students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for physics to pay back their student loans after receiving their doctor's degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized physics related body.

Our complete 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.

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 Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Physics in Pennsylvania

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in physics.

Top Pennsylvania Schools for a Doctorate in Physics

1

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus
Pittsburgh, PA

21 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in physics has to look into University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in physics from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

2

Temple University
Philadelphia, PA

11 Annual Graduates

Temple University is a good option for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in physics. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physics from Temple University

Best Physics Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Physics Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
New York	174	136
Maryland	119	43
New Jersey	115	33
District of Columbia	81	16
Delaware	53	9

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Rankings in Majors Related to Physics

One of 8 majors within the Physical Sciences area of study, Physics has other similar majors worth exploring.

Physics Focus Areas

Major	Annual Graduates
General Physics	87
Acoustics	6

Majors Similar to Physics

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Chemistry	126
Materials Sciences	20
Geological & Earth Sciences	16
Astronomy & Astrophysics	10
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	8

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• 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.