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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Southwest Region

16 Ranked Colleges
627 Degrees Awarded
$23,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 52,879 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 18th most popular in the United States. 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 the Southwest region, there were 5,739 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $41,953 and $20,144 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 627 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,970 and $95,025 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in physical sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physical sciences programs that also have a lower cost than 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region.

Top 18 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Southwest Region

#1 in overall quality

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #1 spot on the list. UT Austin is a public institution located in Austin, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 83 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Austin also took the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UT Austin are $22,886, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UT Austin Physical Sciences Report

#2

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Houston landed the #2 spot on the list. UH is located in Houston, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 50 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Houston are $18,689, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Houston

#9 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Texas. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Denton, Texas, and it awarded 22 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UNT not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNT are $15,618.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of North Texas

#4

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#8 in overall quality

Out of the 16 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #4 spot on the list. Texas Tech University is a large public school situated in Lubbock, Texas. It awarded 26 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region doctor’s degree physical sciences students list, Texas Tech has also earned the #8 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Tech University are $17,530.

Full Texas Tech Physical Sciences Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M University - College Station. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region list. College Station, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 80 students in 2019-2020.

Texas A&M College Station also made our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M University - College Station are $22,743, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Texas A&M College Station

#5 in overall quality

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region list. This large school is located in Norman, Oklahoma, and it awarded 44 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma also took the #5 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Oklahoma are $23,236.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Oklahoma

#16 in overall quality

The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #7. This large school is located in El Paso, Texas, and it awarded 11 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UTEP not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #16 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at El Paso are $16,180.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at The University of Texas at El Paso

#10 in overall quality

Oklahoma State University - Main Campus came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking. OSU is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

OSU also took the #10 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at OSU are $23,963.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Oklahoma State University - Main Campus

#11 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Arlington ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region list. UT Arlington is a public institution located in Arlington, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Arlington, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Arlington are $23,376.

Full UT Arlington Physical Sciences Report

#15 in overall quality

New Mexico State University - Main Campus landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking. Las Cruces, New Mexico is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region doctor’s degree physical sciences students list, NMSU Main Campus has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NMSU Main Campus are $18,275, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at NMSU Main Campus

#11

University of New Mexico - Main Campus

Albuquerque, New Mexico
#14 in overall quality

University of New Mexico - Main Campus landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, this large public school awarded 30 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

UNM also took the #14 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of New Mexico - Main Campus are $19,890, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at UNM

#13 in overall quality

The University of Texas at San Antonio came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking. UTSA is located in San Antonio, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

UTSA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UTSA are $25,807, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UTSA Physical Sciences Report

#12

Northern Arizona University

Flagstaff, Arizona
#17 in overall quality

Northern Arizona University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking. Northern Arizona University is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

NAU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Arizona University are $19,489.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at NAU

#7 in overall quality

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #13. ASU - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 42 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region doctor’s degree physical sciences students list, ASU - Tempe has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at ASU - Tempe are $27,048.

Read more about Physical Sciences at ASU - Tempe

#14

University of Arizona

Tucson, Arizona
#2 in overall quality

University of Arizona landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking. University of Arizona is located in Tucson, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 72 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

University of Arizona also took the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Arizona are $33,399, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Arizona

#12 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Dallas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking, coming in at #15. The University of Texas at Dallas is a large school located in Richardson, Texas that handed out 25 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UT Dallas also made our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #12. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Dallas are $28,610, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Physical Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas

#16

Baylor University

Waco, Texas
#4 in overall quality

Baylor University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region list. Waco, Texas 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 15 students in 2019-2020.

Baylor did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Baylor University are $36,936, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Baylor University

#17

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, Texas
#14 in overall quality

Texas Christian University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in Fort Worth, Texas, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 2 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region doctor’s degree physical sciences students list, TCU has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Christian University are $32,268.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at TCU

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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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