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Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in California

11 Colleges
$81,190 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Physics Doctor's Degree School for You

With 483 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, physics is the #52 most popular major in California.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 11 schools in California to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for physics majors pursuing a doctor's degree.

Top 10 Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our analysis found Stanford University to be the best school for physics students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in California. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Read full report on Physics at Stanford University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Santa Barbara

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public college with a very large student population.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - Berkeley is a great place for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Berkeley.

Full Physics at University of California - Berkeley Report

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best physics schools in California. UCLA is a fairly large public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

Full Physics at University of California - Los Angeles Report

University of California - Merced did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physics students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the rural area of Merced, UC Merced is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Physics at University of California - Merced Report

University of California - Riverside did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physics students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. UCR is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Riverside.

Read full report on Physics at University of California - Riverside

University of California - Irvine came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. UC Irvine is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Irvine.

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California Institute of Technology landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree physics programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena, Caltech is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Physics at California Institute of Technology Report

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physics students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public school with a large student population.

Full Physics at University of California - Santa Cruz Report

Best Physics Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 74
Oregon 63
Nevada 13
Hawaii 3
Alaska 1

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

Majors Similar to Physics

Related Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 5,005
Geological & Earth Sciences 2,491
Materials Sciences 448
Astronomy & Astrophysics 371
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 342

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 the rest 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).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to A. T. Service.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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