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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics in Pennsylvania

5 Ranked Colleges
62 Degrees Awarded
$38,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania” ranking.

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 Pennsylvania, there were 549 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $27,900 and $27,000 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 62 physics graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania” ranking, we looked at 5 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.

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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 Pennsylvania”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania.

Top 6 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physics in Pennsylvania

#1

Pennsylvania State University - University Park

University Park, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pennsylvania State University - University Park. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania.

Penn State University Park not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Penn State University Park are $38,728, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Pennsylvania State University - University Park Physics Report

#2

Temple University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Temple University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

Temple did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Temple University are $24,236.

Read full report on Physics at Temple

#4 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania list. University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus is a public institution located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Pitt also made our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at Pitt are $40,836, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Physics at University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

#3

Drexel University

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Drexel University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania list. Drexel is a private not-for-profit institution located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Drexel did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Drexel University are $37,074.

Read more about Physics at Drexel

#4

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania. This large school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s physics degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UPenn are $41,760, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physics at University of Pennsylvania

#5

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physics Schools for a Doctorate in Pennsylvania. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physics students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our pennsylvania doctor’s degree physics students list, Carnegie Mellon has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in Pennsylvania” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Carnegie Mellon University are $47,326, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Carnegie Mellon University 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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