2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Plains States Region
18
Ranked Colleges
332
Degrees Awarded
$28,400
Avg Cost*

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region” ranking.
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 Plains States region, there were 2,897 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,796 and $22,878 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 332 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $76,238 and $112,293 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 18 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their physical sciences program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region doctor’s degree physical sciences students.
Top 18 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Plains States Region
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Missouri University of Science and Technology. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Rolla, Missouri, this medium-sized public school handed out 18 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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 Missouri University of Science and Technology
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington University in St Louis. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region. WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Saint Louis, Missouri. It awarded 31 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 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Full Washington University in St Louis Physical Sciences Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, this large public school awarded 62 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Iowa. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region list. Iowa is a large public school situated in Iowa City, Iowa. It awarded 35 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
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 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 Iowa Physical Sciences Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Kansas. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region list. Lawrence, Kansas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 29 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, 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 85%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at KU
Iowa State University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This large school is located in Ames, Iowa, and it awarded 43 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Iowa State Physical Sciences Report
With a ranking of #7, South Dakota State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region list. South Dakota State is a fairly large school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 5 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full South Dakota State Physical Sciences Report
University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region list. Located in Lincoln, Nebraska, this large public school awarded 25 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students 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%.
Full UNL Physical Sciences Report
University of South Dakota ranked #9 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region list. Vermillion, South Dakota is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 2 students in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 South Dakota Physical Sciences Report
North Dakota State University - Main Campus ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region list. North Dakota State University is a public institution located in Fargo, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at North Dakota State University - Main Campus
Kansas State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region ranking. K -State is a fairly large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas. It awarded 26 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
Read more about Physical Sciences at K -State
University of Missouri - Columbia came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Mizzou is located in Columbia, Missouri and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 27 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Mizzou Physical Sciences Report
University of Missouri - St Louis ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region list. This fairly large school is located in Saint Louis, Missouri, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% 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 UMSL Physical Sciences Report
South Dakota School of Mines and Technology landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region ranking. This small school is located in Rapid City, South Dakota, and it awarded 37 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 more about Physical Sciences at SD Mines
Saint Louis University landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Louis, Missouri 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 4 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Saint Louis University Physical Sciences Report
Wichita State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Wichita State University is located in Wichita, Kansas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 WSU Physical Sciences Report
University of North Dakota landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in Grand Forks, North Dakota, this fairly large public school handed out 7 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of North Dakota Physical Sciences Report
University of Minnesota - Duluth did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. University of Minnesota - Duluth is located in Duluth, Minnesota and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 73 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.
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%.
Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Minnesota - Duluth
Switch to a Different Ranking Method
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
- *Avg Salary and Avg 4-Year Grad Rate 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.