by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 8 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for physical sciences students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 932 doctor's degrees in physical sciences during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of physical sciences for getting your doctor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for physical sciences students working on their doctor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in physical sciences.
Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in physical sciences has to take a look at University of California - Berkeley. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of California - Berkeley
It is difficult to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in physical sciences. UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Barbara
University of California - San Diego is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of California - San Diego
University of California - Irvine is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of California - Irvine
UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of California - Davis
UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of California - Santa Cruz
UCR is a very large public university located in the city of Riverside.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of California - Riverside
Explore all the Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | 27 | 113 |
| Oregon | 27 | 72 |
| Nevada | 25 | 30 |
| Hawaii | 23 | 16 |
| Alaska | 10 | 10 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 417 |
| Physics | 277 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 133 |
| Materials Sciences | 67 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 24 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 10 |
| Other Physical Science | 4 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Engineering | 1,375 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 1,127 |
| Agriculture & Agriculture Operations | 271 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 252 |
| Natural Resources & Conservation | 83 |
| Architecture & Related Services | 30 |
| Engineering Technologies | 10 |
