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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in California (With Aid)

12 Ranked Colleges
816 Degrees Awarded
$33,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid

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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Physical Sciences is the 18th most popular major in the country with 52,879 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $38,122 and had an average of $22,339 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 8,509 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,072 and $18,572 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 816 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree in physical sciences. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great physical sciences programs and 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 physical sciences program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Physical Sciences Schools

The physical sciences 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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree physical sciences students with aid.

Top 12 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in California (With Aid)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Stanford, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 111 students in 2019-2020.

Stanford also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences 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.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Stanford University

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 69 students in 2019-2020.

UCLA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UCLA

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Irvine. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. University of California - Irvine is a large school located in Irvine, California that handed out 75 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Irvine, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of California - Irvine Physical Sciences Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school awarded 139 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley also made our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347.

Full University of California - Berkeley Physical Sciences Report

#10 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Riverside. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid. University of California - Riverside is a large public school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 49 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Physical Sciences 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 - Riverside are $28,686.

Full UCR Physical Sciences Report

#6

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#6 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 61 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Physical Sciences 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 UCSB are $28,670.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UCSB

#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#9 in overall quality

With a ranking of #7, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 9 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at San Diego State University

#7 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. University of California - San Diego is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 100 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UCSD also made our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - San Diego

#5 in overall quality

University of California - Davis ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences 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 more about Physical Sciences at UC Davis

#12 in overall quality

University of California - Merced came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Merced, California, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Merced did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Physical Sciences 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 - Merced are $43,854.

Full University of California - Merced Physical Sciences Report

#11

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California
#2 in overall quality

California Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #11. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 43 students in 2019-2020.

Caltech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Institute of Technology are $56,649, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Physical Sciences at California Institute of Technology

#12

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California
#9 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Santa Cruz, California, this fairly large public school awarded 40 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree physical sciences students with aid list, UC Santa Cruz has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences 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 University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UC Santa Cruz

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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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