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2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region

54 Ranked Colleges
1,235 Degrees Awarded
$67,925 Avg Salary
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

Physical Sciences is the 19th most popular major in the country with 49,473 degrees awarded in 2021-2022. In , physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $40,118 and had an average of $21,983 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Southeast region, there were 9,618 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,848 and $21,493 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,235 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,674 and $121,130 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region” ranking, we looked at 54 colleges that offer a degree in physical sciences. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in physical sciences.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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The physical sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region”.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for southeast region doctor’s degree physical sciences students.

Top 25 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Southeast Region

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region. This large school is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and it awarded 39 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Louisiana State University Physical Sciences Report

2
Hampton crest
Hampton University
Hampton, Virginia

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hampton University. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region. Located in Hampton, Virginia, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Hampton Physical Sciences Report

3
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, Tennessee

Out of the 54 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Vanderbilt University landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Nashville, Tennessee, and it awarded 50 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Vanderbilt University

4
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Duke University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Durham, North Carolina, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 48 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Duke

5
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Miami. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region. University of Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Coral Gables, Florida. It awarded 29 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at U Miami

6
Norfolk State crest
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in Norfolk, Virginia, this medium-sized public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2021-2022.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Norfolk State University

7
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia

Emory University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Emory University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Atlanta, Georgia. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 36 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Emory University

8

With a ranking of #8, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. UNC Chapel Hill is a public institution located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

9

With a ranking of #9, Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus is a large school located in Atlanta, Georgia that handed out 59 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

10

University of Arkansas at Little Rock came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Little Rock, Arkansas, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full University of Arkansas at Little Rock Physical Sciences Report

11
CAU crest
Clark Atlanta University
Atlanta, Georgia

Clark Atlanta University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #11. Atlanta, Georgia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full CAU Physical Sciences Report

12

With a ranking of #12, University of Alabama in Huntsville did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Huntsville, Alabama, this medium-sized public school handed out 8 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UAH

13
University of Virginia crest
University of Virginia - Main Campus
Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Virginia - Main Campus ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Charlottesville, Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 49 students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Virginia

14

Florida Institute of Technology came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Florida Institute of Technology is a medium-sized school located in Melbourne, Florida that handed out 7 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Florida Institute of Technology

15
NC State crest
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

North Carolina State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. NC State is a large public school situated in Raleigh, North Carolina. It awarded 50 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full North Carolina State University Physical Sciences Report

16
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia

Virginia Tech came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Virginia Tech is a large public school situated in Blacksburg, Virginia. It awarded 46 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Virginia Tech

17
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Wake Forest University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized school located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that handed out 6 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Wake Forest University Physical Sciences Report

18
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Tallahassee, Florida, this large public school handed out 67 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Florida State University

19
WVU crest
West Virginia University
Morgantown, West Virginia

West Virginia University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. WVU is a public institution located in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school has a large population, and it awarded 31 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at WVU

20

The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. The University of Tennessee - Knoxville is located in Knoxville, Tennessee and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 36 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UT Knoxville

21
Clemson crest
Clemson University
Clemson, South Carolina

With a ranking of #21, Clemson University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Clemson is a large school located in Clemson, South Carolina that handed out 20 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Clemson University

22
Tulane crest
Tulane University of Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana

With a ranking of #22, Tulane University of Louisiana did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Tulane is a private not-for-profit institution located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Tulane University of Louisiana

23
UARK crest
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas

University of Arkansas came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking. UARK is a large public school situated in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It awarded 42 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of Arkansas Physical Sciences Report

24
UK crest
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky

University of Kentucky did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region ranking, coming in at #24. This large school is located in Lexington, Kentucky, and it awarded 30 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UK

25
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida

University of Florida ranked #25 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Southeast Region list. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 79 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UF

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