2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $48-$75k)

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
Physical Sciences is the 18th most popular major in the country with 52,879 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,122 and had an average of $22,339 in loans still to pay off.
At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,989 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking looked at 166 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physical sciences programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k.
Top 25 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences (Income $48-$75k)
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k list. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 96 students in 2019-2020.
MIT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at MIT are $56,719, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Out of the 166 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Harvard University landed the #2 spot on the list. Harvard University is a large school located in Cambridge, Massachusetts that handed out 71 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Harvard also made our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #7. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard are $50,654.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 53 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Northwestern also made our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 111 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our doctor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, Stanford has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Columbia University in the City of New York. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k. Columbia University in the City of New York is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 71 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia University in the City of New York are $51,194, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Columbia University in the City of New York
Princeton University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #6. Princeton is a private not-for-profit institution located in Princeton, New Jersey. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 56 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our doctor’s degree physical sciences students whose families make $48-$75k list, Princeton has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Princeton are $56,470.
University of Chicago landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UChicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 66 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UChicago, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Chicago are $61,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Chicago
California Institute of Technology landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Caltech is a small school located in Pasadena, California that handed out 43 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Caltech also made our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Caltech are $56,649.
Full California Institute of Technology Physical Sciences Report
Dartmouth College did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #9. Hanover, New Hampshire is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.
Dartmouth did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Dartmouth College are $58,120, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #10, Johns Hopkins University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k list. Johns Hopkins University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Baltimore, Maryland. The school has a large population, and it awarded 39 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Johns Hopkins did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Johns Hopkins are $59,425, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Johns Hopkins University
Cornell University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. This large school is located in Ithaca, New York, and it awarded 62 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell are $30,042, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Pennsylvania came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UPenn is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 46 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
UPenn not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pennsylvania are $41,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #13, University of Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k list. University of Florida is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 61 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UF did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Florida are $30,130, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #14, Vanderbilt University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k list. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 28 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Vanderbilt are $50,624, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Vanderbilt University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. U-M is a large school located in Ann Arbor, Michigan that handed out 118 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
U-M also made our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #17. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #16, Missouri University of Science and Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Rolla, Missouri, and it awarded 25 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri University of Science and Technology are $30,943, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Missouri University of Science and Technology
Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Purdue University - Main Campus is located in West Lafayette, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 88 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue University - Main Campus are $28,794, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 69 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k list. UW - Madison is a large school located in Madison, Wisconsin that handed out 84 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also took the #22 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Physical Sciences Report
Wake Forest University ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k list. This medium-sized school is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Wake Forest University are $39,216, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. University of California - Berkeley is a large public school situated in Berkeley, California. It awarded 139 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Berkeley
University of Wyoming ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k list. Laramie, Wyoming is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at UW are $16,615, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #23. This large school is located in Seattle, Washington, and it awarded 85 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Brown University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking. Located in Providence, Rhode Island, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 37 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
On top of its placing in this ranking, Brown also did well on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Brown University are $60,363.
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate For Those Making $48-$75k ranking, coming in at #25. The University of Texas at Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 83 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Austin did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886.
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Notes and References
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to NASA.
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