2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate” ranking is part of that endeavor.
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” ranking looked at 154 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physical sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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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” 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
The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree physical sciences students.
Top 27 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences
Out of the 154 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Provo, Utah, and it awarded 19 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at BYU are $7,510, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Brigham Young University - Provo
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wyoming. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. University of Wyoming is a public institution located in Laramie, Wyoming. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 18 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wyoming are $16,615, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. This large school is located in Austin, Texas, and 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 The University of Texas at Austin are $22,886.
Full The University of Texas at Austin Physical Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school awarded 50 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UH are $18,689.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Texas. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. University of North Texas is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 22 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Texas are $15,618, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of North Texas
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #6. University of Wisconsin - Madison is a large public school situated in Madison, Wisconsin. It awarded 84 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed 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 University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523.
Full University of Wisconsin - Madison Physical Sciences Report
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking. South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is located in Rapid City, South Dakota and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology are $19,250.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Texas A&M University - College Station is a public institution located in College Station, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 80 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M University - College Station are $22,743, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Texas A&M College Station
Texas Tech University landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Texas Tech is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 26 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Tech University are $17,530, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Southern Mississippi did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #8. Hattiesburg, Mississippi is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Miss are $10,896, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Southern Mississippi
Northern Illinois University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. NIU is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 9 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Northern Illinois University
Loyola University Chicago ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. Chicago, Illinois 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 3 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Loyola University Chicago are $19,154, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Physical Sciences at Loyola University Chicago
With a ranking of #11, Iowa State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. Iowa State University is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State are $25,948.
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 55 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on this list, UMN Twin Cities is in the top on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are $28,845, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Physical Sciences Report
University of Florida landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking. University of Florida is a large public school situated in Gainesville, Florida. It awarded 61 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
UF also took the #20 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UF are $30,130, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Nevada - Reno ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. UNR is a large public school situated in Reno, Nevada. It awarded 19 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nevada - Reno are $21,971, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Utah did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #15. U of U is a large school located in Salt Lake City, Utah that handed out 53 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at U of U are $24,695, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Akron Main Campus ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. Located in Akron, Ohio, this fairly large public school handed out 29 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Akron Main Campus are $15,217.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Akron Main Campus
Clemson University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #17. Clemson, South Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Clemson are $23,246, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #18, University of Kansas did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. Located in Lawrence, Kansas, this large public school handed out 31 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Kansas are $25,007, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Kansas
Kansas State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #19. K -State is a public institution located in Manhattan, Kansas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Kansas State University are $24,115.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. University of Oklahoma is a large school located in Norman, Oklahoma that handed out 44 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Oklahoma are $23,236, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Oklahoma
University of Memphis came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking. UofM is a large school located in Memphis, Tennessee that handed out 13 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Memphis are $14,202, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking. West Lafayette, Indiana is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 88 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue are $28,794, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #23, Montana State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. Located in Bozeman, Montana, this fairly large public school handed out 19 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Montana State University are $21,446, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #24, Virginia Tech did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate list. Blacksburg, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 42 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Virginia Tech are $30,547, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Florida State University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Florida State is a public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida. The school has a large population, and it awarded 68 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Florida State are $26,707, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at Florida State University
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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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