2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Pennsylvania, there were 549 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,900 and $27,000 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 62 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 5 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the physics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in Pennsylvania

#1

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#2 in overall quality

$41,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn also took the #2 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pennsylvania are $41,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Pennsylvania Physics Report

#2

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#1 in overall quality

$47,326 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carnegie Mellon University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. This fairly large school is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 15 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Carnegie Mellon also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Carnegie Mellon are $47,326, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Physics at Carnegie Mellon

#3

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

#4 in overall quality

$40,836 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. Pitt is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Pitt are $40,836, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Physics at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

#4

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#5 in overall quality

$24,236 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Temple University landed the #4 spot on the list. Temple University is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 5 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Temple not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Temple are $24,236.

Full Temple University Physics Report

#5

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#3 in overall quality

$37,074 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drexel University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Drexel, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Drexel University are $37,074, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Drexel University Physics Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in the Middle Atlantic Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k)

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.

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