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Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California

10 Colleges
$70,619 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree School for You

With 1,641 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, physical sciences is the #12 most popular major in California.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 10 schools in California to see which doctor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California

Check out the physical sciences doctor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Physical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Stanford University the best school in California for physical sciences students working on their doctor’s degree. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Stanford.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at Stanford University

The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of California - Santa Barbara helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best physical sciences schools in California. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Santa Barbara

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Berkeley

Out of the 10 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the # 4 spot on the list. UCSD is a fairly large public school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - San Diego

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Cruz. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a large public school located in the city of Santa Cruz.

Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Santa Cruz Report

University of California - Riverside landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best doctor’s degree physical sciences programs. Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Riverside

University of California - Irvine did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physical sciences students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Physical Sciences at University of California - Irvine Report

University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for physical sciences students to get a doctor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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California Institute of Technology ranked #9 on this year’s Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Caltech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pasadena.

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University of California - Davis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Physical Sciences Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Physical Sciences at University of California - Davis

Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Physical Sciences Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 246
Oregon 215
Nevada 60
Hawaii 47
Alaska 31

Physical Sciences Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Chemistry 5,005
Physics 3,727
Geological & Earth Sciences 2,491
Materials Sciences 448
Astronomy & Astrophysics 371
Atmospheric Sciences & Meteorology 342
Other Physical Science 191
General Physical Sciences 107
Physics and Astronomy 23

Related Major Annual Graduates
Engineering 61,791
Computer & Information Sciences 60,971
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 28,851
Mathematics & Statistics 15,127
Engineering Technologies 7,672

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 10 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 NASA.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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