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2022 Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Physics in California

13 Colleges in California
245 Doctor's Degrees
If you pursue a doctor's degree in physics, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #16 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 13 schools in California to determine which ones were the most popular for physics students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 245 doctor's degrees in physics during the 2019-2020 academic year.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Physics School for Your Doctor's Degree

Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Physics in California The physics doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. We created our Most Popular Doctor's Degree Colleges for Physics in California ranking to make it a little easier to choose the right one for you.

Being popular does not always equate to overall quality, but a school with a large number of physics students usually has them for a reason. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.

More Ways to Rank Physics Schools

Associate Degrees in Physics
Bachelor's Degrees in Physics
Master's Degrees in Physics
Overall Popularity in Physics

We have also developed a number of other rankings to help guide you in your decision-making process. To begin with, if this is not the degree level you are most interested in, you may want to check out one of the others noted above. If you would prefer to limit your search to a specific state or region of the county, see our rankings by location. Plus, you can view our other rankings for physics.

Below you'll see a list of the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in physics.

10 Most Well Attended Schools for Physics Students Working on Their Doctorate

1
57 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#1 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Stanford University if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in physics. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in California.

There were about 57 physics students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in physics from Stanford University

2
45 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#3 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in physics. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #3 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in California.

There were approximately 45 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in physics from University of California - Berkeley

3
22 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#6 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

University of California - Los Angeles is a popular choice for students pursuing a doctor's degree in physics. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #6 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in California.

There were approximately 22 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in physics from University of California - Los Angeles

3
22 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#4 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

University of California - San Diego is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in physics. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in California.

There were about 22 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in physics from University of California - San Diego

5
20 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#5 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #5 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in California.

There were about 20 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in physics from University of California - Santa Barbara

6
15 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#9 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

UCR is a fairly large public university located in the city of Riverside. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #9 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in California.

There were approximately 15 physics students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in physics from University of California - Riverside

7
13 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#10 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a large student population.

There were about 13 physics individuals who graduated with this degree at UC Santa Cruz in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in physics from University of California - Santa Cruz

7
13 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#7 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #7 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in California.

There were roughly 13 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in physics from University of California - Davis

7
13 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#8 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #8 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in California.

There were about 13 physics students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a doctorate in physics from University of California - Irvine

10
11 Annual Doctor's Degrees
#2 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the midsize city of Pasadena, Caltech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for doctor's degrees in physics in California.

There were roughly 11 physics students who graduated with this degree at Caltech in the most recent data year.

More information about a doctorate in physics from California Institute of Technology

Best Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Physics Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Washington11525
Oregon10219
Nevada585
Hawaii536
Alaska200

View All Rankings >

Physics is one of 8 different types of Physical Sciences programs to choose from.

Physics Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Physics222
Other Physics22
Acoustics1

Majors Similar to Physics

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Chemistry347
Geological & Earth Sciences148
Materials Sciences52
Astronomy & Astrophysics15
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology8
Other Physical Science1

Notes and References

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