2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 14,123 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $42,475 and had an average of $22,421 in loans still to pay off.

Across North Carolina, there were 382 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $23,428 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 49 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,103 and $114,434 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Physics Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college 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.

Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for north carolina doctor’s degree physics students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k) in North Carolina

#1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

#1 in overall quality

$30,248 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physics at UNC Chapel Hill

#2

North Carolina State University

Raleigh, North Carolina

#2 in overall quality

$28,999 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Carolina State University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. North Carolina State University is a large school located in Raleigh, North Carolina that handed out 14 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

NC State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Carolina State University are $28,999, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full NC State Physics Report

#3

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

#2 in overall quality

$39,216 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wake Forest University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wake Forest University also made our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Wake Forest University are $39,216.

Read full report on Physics at Wake Forest University

#4

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina

#3 in overall quality

$21,055 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Charlotte. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in North Carolina For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNC Charlotte is a public institution located in Charlotte, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Charlotte also took the #3 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Charlotte are $21,055, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of North Carolina at Charlotte Physics Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k) in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.

Featured Physical Sciences Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >