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2025 Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

3 Colleges in North Carolina
63 Doctor's Degrees
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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 3 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 63 doctor's degrees in physics during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Physics School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in North Carolina 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a good 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.

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:

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Physics Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 North Carolina list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Physics in North Carolina

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

Top North Carolina Schools for a Doctorate in Physics

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
22 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Duke University if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in physics. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in physics from Duke University

2
11 Annual Graduates

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in physics. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.More information about a doctorate in physics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
19 Annual Graduates

North Carolina State University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in physics. NC State is a very large public university located in the large city of Raleigh.More information about a doctorate in physics from North Carolina State University

Best Physics Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 138 74
Virginia 127 43
Georgia 126 30
Mississippi 113 5
Louisiana 103 21
Tennessee 102 19
Alabama 98 14
South Carolina 91 19
Kentucky 87 7
Arkansas 58 6
West Virginia 49 8

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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 48
Other Physics 8
Optics/Optical Sciences 7

Majors Similar to Physics

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 91
Other Physical Science 27
Geological & Earth Sciences 8
Materials Sciences 7

Notes and References

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