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Best Value Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Value Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

20 Colleges
$34,369 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$81,190 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Physics Doctor's Degree School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, physics was ranked #62 in the country. In fact 3,727 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Grad Degree Search has developed this Best Value Physics Doctor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 20 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best value doctor's degree programs for physics students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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

Top 10 Best Physics Doctor's Degree Schools

Our analysis found Northern Illinois University to be the best value school for physics students who want to pursue a doctor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at NIU are $11,390 per year.

Read full report on Physics at Northern Illinois University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois Institute of Technology. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Illinois Tech are $30,822 per year.

Full Physics at Illinois Institute of Technology Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Ohio University - Athens Campus is a great value for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. OHIO Athens is a fairly large public school located in the town of Athens.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at OHIO Athens are $17,712 per year.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UIUC are $30,862 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UIUC also is in the top 10% of our Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Read full report on Physics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UW - Madison are $25,501 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, UW - Madison is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read full report on Physics at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#6

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

With a ranking of #6, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for physics students working on their doctor’s degree. Purdue is a very large public school located in the small city of West Lafayette.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Purdue are $28,794 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Purdue is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list.

Read full report on Physics at Purdue University - Main Campus

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UIC are $28,468 a year.

Full Physics at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

#8

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Northwestern University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

Northwestern graduate students pay an average of $56,567 in tuition and fees each year.

Northwestern also made our Best Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, coming in at #1.

Read full report on Physics at Northwestern University

Kent State University at Kent came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Physics Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public school with a very large student population.

Kent State graduate students pay an average of $21,952 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Physics at Kent State University at Kent Report

#10

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, MI

Western Michigan University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value doctor’s degree physics programs. Located in the small city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

WMU graduate students pay an average of $26,248 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Physics at Western Michigan University Report

Best Physics Colleges by State

Explore the best physics schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 126
Illinois 158
Ohio 136
Indiana 87
Wisconsin 76

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

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 20 schools only.

  • 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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