by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 15 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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 1,099 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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
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 consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete 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.
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 Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list to help you make the college decision.
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for physical sciences students seeking a a doctor's degree.
It's difficult to beat Johns Hopkins University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Johns Hopkins University
Columbia University in the City of New York is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York
Every student who is interested in a doctor's degree in physical sciences has to look into Cornell University. Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Cornell University
It's difficult to beat University of Rochester if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in physical sciences. University of Rochester is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of Rochester
Located in the suburb of Newark, UD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of Delaware
Located in the large suburb of Rochester, RIT is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Rochester Institute of Technology
University at Buffalo is a very large public university located in the suburb of Buffalo.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University at Buffalo
Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Syracuse University
Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of Maryland - College Park
NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from New York University
Explore the best physical sciences schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 30 | 402 |
| Maryland | 29 | 97 |
| Pennsylvania | 29 | 260 |
| New Jersey | 28 | 104 |
| District of Columbia | 24 | 31 |
| Delaware | 21 | 44 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 478 |
| Physics | 414 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 79 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 51 |
| Materials Sciences | 47 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 26 |
| General Physical Sciences | 2 |
| Other Physical Science | 2 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Engineering | 1,987 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 1,777 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 405 |
| Agriculture & Agriculture Operations | 384 |
| Engineering Technologies | 67 |
| Natural Resources & Conservation | 44 |
| Architecture & Related Services | 39 |
| Military Technologies & Applied Sciences | 2 |
