2025 Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

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 the Rocky Mountains Region to determine which ones were the best for doctor's degree seekers in the field of physics. Combined, these schools handed out 83 doctor's degrees in physics to qualified students.

What's on this page: * 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

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on physics students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of physics students who choose to seek a doctor's degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Student Debt - How much debt physics students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized physics related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for physics students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Physics Schools

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 the Rocky Mountains Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Physics in the Rocky Mountains Region

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

Top Rocky Mountains Region Schools for a Doctorate in Physics

1

University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO

33 Annual Graduates

University of Colorado Boulder is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in physics. Located in the city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physics from University of Colorado Boulder

2

University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT

12 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in physics has to take a look at University of Utah. Located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physics from University of Utah

Best Physics Colleges by State

Explore the best physics colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Colorado	123	49
Utah	104	19
Idaho	47	4
Montana	37	2
Wyoming	32	5

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Physics Related Rankings by Major

Physics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Physics Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
General Physics	83

Majors Similar to Physics

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Chemistry	135
Geological & Earth Sciences	50
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	25
Astronomy & Astrophysics	13
Materials Sciences	4

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.