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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics

10 Ranked Colleges
74 Degrees Awarded
$40,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 941 people earned their degree in engineering and applied physics, making the major the 440th most popular in the United States.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 74 engineering and applied physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate” ranking looked at 10 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in engineering and applied physics. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality engineering and applied physics programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the engineering and applied physics program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Engineering & Applied Physics Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important 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.

Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate

The colleges and universities below are the best for doctor’s degree applied physics students.

Top 10 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Engineering & Applied Physics

#1

Cornell University

Ithaca, New York
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Cornell University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate. Ithaca, New York is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s applied physics degrees to 12 students in 2019-2020.

Cornell did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cornell University are $30,042, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Engineering & Applied Physics at Cornell

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate list. Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Daytona Beach, Florida. It awarded 3 doctorate’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach also took the #9 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach are $19,736, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach

#10 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at University of Oklahoma, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Oklahoma are $23,236, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Oklahoma Engineering & Applied Physics Report

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 10 schools in the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s applied physics students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631.

Full University of California - San Diego Engineering & Applied Physics Report

#5

Stevens Institute of Technology

Hoboken, New Jersey
#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stevens Institute of Technology. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate list. Stevens Institute of Technology is a medium-sized school located in Hoboken, New Jersey that handed out 1 doctorate’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Stevens did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stevens are $38,876, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Stevens Institute of Technology

#6

Rice University

Houston, Texas
#6 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, Rice University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate list. Rice is a medium-sized school located in Houston, Texas that handed out 4 doctorate’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Rice also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at Rice University are $47,913, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Rice University

#4 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Columbia is a large private not-for-profit school situated in New York, New York. It awarded 4 doctorate’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also took the #4 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia are $51,194, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Columbia Engineering & Applied Physics Report

#8

Harvard University

Cambridge, Massachusetts
#3 in overall quality

Harvard University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate ranking. Cambridge, Massachusetts is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s applied physics degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

Harvard did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Harvard are $50,654, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Engineering & Applied Physics at Harvard

#9

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, California Institute of Technology did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate list. Caltech is a private not-for-profit institution located in Pasadena, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 15 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Caltech also took the #2 spot in our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Caltech are $56,649.

Full Caltech Engineering & Applied Physics Report

#10

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

Northwestern University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Applied Physics Schools for a Doctorate list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 2 doctorate’s applied physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also made our “Best Engineering & Applied Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northwestern Engineering & Applied Physics Report

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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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