2025 Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
a doctor's degree in
physical sciences is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #7 out of 36 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
College Factual looked at 12 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,176 doctor's degrees in physical sciences to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Physical Sciences School for Your Doctor's Degree
The physical sciences doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality physical sciences program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality 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.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on physical sciences students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other physical sciences students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for physical sciences to pay back their student loans after receiving their doctor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized physical sciences related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for physical sciences students working on their doctor's degree.
More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools
The physical sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region.