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

9 Ranked Colleges
341 Degrees Awarded
$25,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 Plains States region, there were 3,094 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,917 and $23,900 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 341 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,701 and $106,703 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region” ranking looked at 9 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in physical sciences. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality physical sciences programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the physical sciences program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. 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 Plains States Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most 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 Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region doctor’s degree physical sciences students.

Top 9 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Plains States Region

#7 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology landed the #1 spot on the list. Rapid City, South Dakota is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree physical sciences students list, SD Mines has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SD Mines are $19,250, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Physical Sciences Report

#2 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa State University landed the #2 spot on the list. Iowa State is a public institution located in Ames, Iowa. The school has a large population, and it awarded 44 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Iowa State, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa State University are $25,948, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Iowa State

#3

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. Minneapolis, Minnesota is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 55 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMN Twin Cities, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

#4

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Kansas. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 31 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree physical sciences students list, KU has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007.

Full University of Kansas Physical Sciences Report

#5

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 9 schools in the Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Kansas State University landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, this large public school handed out 17 degrees to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2019-2020.

K -State also took the #5 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at K -State are $24,115, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full K -State Physical Sciences Report

#6

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas
#9 in overall quality

Wichita State University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. Wichita, Kansas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region doctor’s degree physical sciences students list, WSU has also earned the #9 rank in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at WSU are $15,112, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full WSU Physical Sciences Report

#3 in overall quality

Missouri University of Science and Technology ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. Missouri University of Science and Technology is located in Rolla, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 25 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Missouri University of Science and Technology not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri University of Science and Technology are $30,943, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Missouri University of Science and Technology Physical Sciences Report

#6 in overall quality

University of Missouri - Columbia ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. Columbia, Missouri is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

Mizzou also made our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #6. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Mizzou are $27,193.

Full Mizzou Physical Sciences Report

#9

University of Missouri - St Louis

Saint Louis, Missouri
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Physical Sciences Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region list. UMSL is a fairly large school located in Saint Louis, Missouri that handed out 7 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2019-2020.

UMSL also took the #8 spot in our “Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMSL are $30,154, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Missouri - St Louis

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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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