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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Great Lakes Region

35 Ranked Colleges
1,003 Degrees Awarded
$74,002 Avg Salary
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2020-2021, 50,306 people earned their degree in physical sciences, making the major the 19th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, physical sciences graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $39,880 and had an average of $22,620 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 6,421 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,323 and $23,308 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,003 physical sciences graduates with average earnings and debt of $74,305 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, we looked at 35 colleges that offer a degree in physical sciences. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their physical sciences program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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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 “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region”.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region

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

Top 25 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Physical Sciences in the Great Lakes Region

1
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 67 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Chicago

2
Notre Dame crest
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Notre Dame. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 42 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full University of Notre Dame Physical Sciences Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Akron Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region. This fairly large school is located in Akron, Ohio, and it awarded 37 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Akron Main Campus

4
Purdue crest
Purdue University - Main Campus
West Lafayette, Indiana

Out of the 35 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Purdue University - Main Campus landed the #4 spot on the list. Purdue is a large public school situated in West Lafayette, Indiana. It awarded 83 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 93%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Purdue University - Main Campus

5
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 59 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Northwestern University

6

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 94 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIUC Physical Sciences Report

7

Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Illinois Institute of Technology is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 12 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Illinois Tech

8

With a ranking of #8, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a public institution located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school has a large population, and it awarded 93 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Michigan State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State University is located in East Lansing, Michigan and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 73 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Michigan State University Physical Sciences Report

10

University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Madison, Wisconsin, and it awarded 89 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Physical Sciences at UW - Madison

11

Case Western Reserve University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Case Western Reserve University is located in Cleveland, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 19 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full Case Western Physical Sciences Report

12

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 40 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at University of Illinois at Chicago

13

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in Columbus, Ohio, this large public school awarded 73 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s physical sciences students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Ohio State Physical Sciences Report

14
University of Toledo crest
University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio

University of Toledo landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. University of Toledo is a public institution located in Toledo, Ohio. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 20 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full University of Toledo Physical Sciences Report

15

Michigan Technological University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan Tech is located in Houghton, Michigan and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Michigan Technological University Physical Sciences Report

16
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

With a ranking of #16, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Bloomington is located in Bloomington, Indiana and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 41 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Physical Sciences Report

17
Wayne State crest
Wayne State University
Detroit, Michigan

Wayne State University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Detroit, Michigan is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Wayne State

18

University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee is a large public school situated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It awarded 15 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Full UWM Physical Sciences Report

19

Kent State University at Kent landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Kent State University at Kent is a large school located in Kent, Ohio that handed out 15 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Kent State

20
WMU crest
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Western Michigan University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #20. WMU is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Western Michigan University

21

Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #21. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 7 students in 2020-2021.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Physical Sciences Report

22

Miami University - Oxford ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public school situated in Oxford, Ohio. It awarded 12 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%.

Full Miami University - Oxford Physical Sciences Report

23

With a ranking of #23, University of Cincinnati - Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s physical sciences degrees to 22 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

24

Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Air Force Institute of Technology - Graduate School of Engineering & Management is a public institution located in Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The school has a small population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at AFIT Graduate School of Engineering & Management

25
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Marquette University came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Physical Sciences Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s physical sciences degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Physical Sciences at Marquette University

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