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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $75-$110k) in California

11 Ranked Colleges
245 Degrees Awarded
$35,100 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 California, there were 3,131 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,486 and $19,317 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 245 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking analyzed 11 colleges that offered 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.

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 physics program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k” list to help you make the college decision.

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 Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 11 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics (Income $75-$110k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physics degrees to 57 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Stanford Physics Report

#2

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California Institute of Technology. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k. California Institute of Technology is located in Pasadena, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 doctorate’s physics degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Caltech, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649.

Read more about Physics at Caltech

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - Davis is located in Davis, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 doctorate’s physics degrees to qualified students.

UC Davis also took the #5 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physics at UC Davis

#9 in overall quality

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #4 spot on the list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Physics at University of California - Riverside

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school handed out 22 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

UCSD did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physics at UCSD

University of California - Berkeley did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 45 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347.

Read more about Physics at UC Berkeley

#7

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 22 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #6. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Los Angeles are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Los Angeles

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #8 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 20 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670.

Read full report on Physics at UCSB

University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #9. University of California - Irvine is a public institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Irvine not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456.

Full UC Irvine Physics Report

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Merced did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Merced is a medium-sized public school situated in Merced, California. It awarded 6 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Merced, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Merced are $43,854, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Physics at UC Merced

#11

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#10 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $75-$110k list. University of California - Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 doctorate’s physics degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Santa Cruz are $28,952.

Full University of California - Santa Cruz Physics Report

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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