2022 Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Physics in Virginia

Ranked #16 in popularity, physics is one of the most sought-after doctor's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 7 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the most popular for physics students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 42 doctor's degrees in physics during the 2019-2020 academic year.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Physics School for Your Doctor's Degree

The physics doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. As an aid in helping you pick the right school for you, we created our Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Physics in Virginia ranking.

A high popularity ranking isn't always a sign that a school has a great overall quality ranking for physics, but it does mean that many students are choosing the school for some reason. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.

More Ways to Rank Physics Schools

This is not our only ranking, nor the only degree level we have ranked. In addition to this ranking, you may want to take at the rankings for different degree levels as called out above. You can also narrow your search by location by filtering for a certain area of the country. Plus, you can view our other rankings for physics.

Most Popular Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Physics in Virginia

Explore the most popular colleges and universities for physics students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Most Well Attended Schools for Physics Students Working on Their Doctorate

1

Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

16 Annual Doctor's Degrees

#2 Best Quality In VA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in physics needs to take a look at Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in Virginia.

There were about 16 physics students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in physics from Virginia Tech

2

University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA

9 Annual Doctor's Degrees

#1 Best Quality In VA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at University of Virginia - Main Campus if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in physics. Located in the small suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in Virginia.

There were roughly 9 physics students who graduated with this degree at University of Virginia in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in physics from University of Virginia - Main Campus

3

George Mason University
Fairfax, VA

7 Annual Doctor's Degrees

#4 Best Quality In VA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in physics has to take a look at George Mason University. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in Virginia.

There were about 7 physics students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in physics from George Mason University

4

Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA

5 Annual Doctor's Degrees

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Old Dominion University is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in physics. Old Dominion is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Norfolk.

There were approximately 5 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at Old Dominion in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in physics from Old Dominion University

5

William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA

4 Annual Doctor's Degrees

#3 Best Quality In VA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

William & Mary is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Williamsburg. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #3 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in Virginia.

There were about 4 physics students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in physics from William & Mary

6

Hampton University
Hampton, VA

1 Annual Doctor's Degrees

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the midsize city of Hampton, Hampton is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

There were approximately 1 physics students who graduated with this degree at Hampton in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in physics from Hampton University

7

Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond, VA

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

VCU is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Richmond. More information about a doctorate in physics from Virginia Commonwealth University

Best Physics Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular Physics Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Florida	143	68
Georgia	124	35
North Carolina	113	51
Louisiana	99	19
Tennessee	98	20
Alabama	94	11
South Carolina	88	11
Kentucky	86	16
Mississippi	72	6
Arkansas	57	6
West Virginia	49	8

View All Rankings >

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	42

Most Popular Majors Related to Physics

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Chemistry	59
Geological & Earth Sciences	14
Astronomy & Astrophysics	6
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	4
Materials Sciences	1

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.