by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools in the Rocky Mountains 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 310 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 school'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 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 the Rocky Mountains Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for physical sciences students seeking a a doctor's degree.
It's hard to beat Colorado State University - Fort Collins if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Colorado State University - Fort Collins
It's difficult to beat University of Colorado Boulder if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of Colorado Boulder
It's difficult to beat University of Utah if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of Utah
Explore the best physical sciences colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Chemistry | 135 |
| Physics | 83 |
| Geological & Earth Sciences | 50 |
| Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology | 25 |
| Astronomy & Astrophysics | 13 |
| Materials Sciences | 4 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Engineering | 457 |
| Biological & Biomedical Sciences | 343 |
| Agriculture & Agriculture Operations | 177 |
| Mathematics & Statistics | 74 |
| Natural Resources & Conservation | 52 |
| Engineering Technologies | 4 |
| Architecture & Related Services | 1 |
