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2025 Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

13 Colleges in the Southwest Region
685 Doctor's Degrees
$100,906 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your doctor's degree in physical sciences, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #7 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 685 doctor's degrees in physical sciences during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Physical Sciences School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region 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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Physical Sciences Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Southwest Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Physical Sciences in the Southwest Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in physical sciences.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools for a Doctorate in Physical Sciences

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Annual Graduates

University of Arizona is a wonderful decision for students interested in a doctor's degree in physical sciences. University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the large city of Tucson.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of Arizona

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Annual Graduates

Texas A&M University - College Station is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in physical sciences. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of College Station.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Texas A&M University - College Station

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in physical sciences needs to check out The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from The University of Texas at Austin

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Annual Graduates

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a good option for students pursuing a doctor's degree in physical sciences. University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Norman.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Annual Graduates

UH is a fairly large public university located in the city of Houston.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of Houston

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Baylor University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Arizona State University - Tempe

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Annual Graduates

UT Dallas is a very large public university located in the city of Richardson.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from The University of Texas at Dallas

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
28 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Albuquerque, UNM is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from University of New Mexico - Main Campus

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
30 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in physical sciences from Texas Tech University

Best Physical Sciences Colleges by State

Explore the best physical sciences colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 29 409
Arizona 28 115
Oklahoma 26 64
New Mexico 23 52

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Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 293
Physics 203
Geological & Earth Sciences 127
Astronomy & Astrophysics 37
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 16
Materials Sciences 9

Related Major Annual Graduates
Engineering 1,428
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 807
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations 460
Mathematics & Statistics 209
Natural Resources & Conservation 61
Architecture & Related Services 37
Engineering Technologies 14

Notes and References

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