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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

8 Ranked Colleges
97 Degrees Awarded
$26,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

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 Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 14,123 people earned their degree in physics, making the major the 67th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, physics graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $42,475 and had an average of $22,421 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 767 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,600 and $24,015 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 97 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,701 and $106,703 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 8 colleges that offer a degree in physics. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent physics 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 physics program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Physics Schools

The physics 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 “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region doctor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 8 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $30-$48k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UMN Twin Cities is a large public school situated in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It awarded 19 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physics at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Missouri University of Science and Technology landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Rolla, Missouri, this medium-sized public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

Missouri University of Science and Technology also took the #3 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri University of Science and Technology are $30,943, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Physics at Missouri University of Science and Technology

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #3 spot on the list. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State University are $25,948, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physics at Iowa State University

#4

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - St Louis landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this fairly large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

UMSL also made our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #8. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMSL are $30,154.

Full University of Missouri - St Louis Physics Report

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Missouri - Columbia. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Columbia, Missouri, this large public school awarded 9 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

Mizzou also made our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Missouri - Columbia are $27,193, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Missouri - Columbia Physics Report

#6

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#4 in overall quality

Kansas State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Kansas State University is a large public school situated in Manhattan, Kansas. It awarded 9 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree physics students whose families make $30-$48k list, K -State has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. 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.

Read more about Physics at K -State

#7 in overall quality

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Rapid City, South Dakota, this small public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

SD Mines did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology are $19,250, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SD Mines Physics Report

#8

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#6 in overall quality

University of Kansas ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. KU is a large school located in Lawrence, Kansas that handed out 7 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

KU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Kansas are $25,007, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Physics at University of Kansas

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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.

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