2025 Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in Virginia

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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 165 doctor's degrees in physical sciences to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

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 schools for physical sciences students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools

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 Virginia list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Physical Sciences in Virginia

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for physical sciences students seeking a a doctor's degree.

Top Virginia Schools for a Doctorate in Physical Sciences

1

University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

49 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Virginia - Main Campus if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of Virginia - Main Campus

2

Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA

Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

46 Annual Graduates

Virginia Tech is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Virginia Tech

Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Physical Sciences Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Florida	29	238
Georgia	28	132
Mississippi	28	32
South Carolina	28	56
North Carolina	26	174
Kentucky	26	40
Alabama	25	55
Tennessee	25	62
Louisiana	25	74
Arkansas	23	37
West Virginia	20	25

View All Rankings >

Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major	Annual Graduates
Chemistry	68
Physics	61
Geological & Earth Sciences	23
Materials Sciences	7
Astronomy & Astrophysics	4
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology	2

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Engineering	364
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	174
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations	136
Mathematics & Statistics	42
Natural Resources & Conservation	16
Architecture & Related Services	11
Engineering Technologies	3

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 NASA. More about our data sources and methodologies.