Compare 156 Physics PhD Programs in the US
Grad School Navigator tracks 156 Physics PhD programs in the US across 106 universities. Most do not require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE); only 8% report it as a requirement. Start with the ranked programs below, then use Explorer to compare the details that matter to your shortlist.
Top Programs
Sorted by Grad School Navigator University Rank. Each row also shows QS, Times Higher Education, U.S. News, or Academic Ranking of World Universities positions when available.
- 1
Harvard University
- Grad School Navigator#1University rank
- QS#2Subject rank
- Times Higher Education=2Subject rank
- U.S. News#2Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Dec 15
- Annual tuition
- $59,048
- Program duration
- 72 months
- 2
Stanford University
- Grad School Navigator#2University rank
- QS#4Subject rank
- Times Higher Education=2Subject rank
- U.S. News#3Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Dec 16
- Annual tuition
- $63,540
- Program duration
- 72 months
- 3
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Grad School Navigator#3University rank
- QS#1Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#4Subject rank
- U.S. News#1Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Dec 15
- Program duration
- 84 months
- 4
Princeton University
- Grad School Navigator#4University rank
- QS#10Subject rank
- Times Higher Education=5Subject rank
- U.S. News#10Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Dec 15
- Annual tuition
- $65,936
- Program duration
- 60 months
- 5
University of California, Berkeley
- Grad School Navigator#6University rank
- QS#6Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#7Subject rank
- U.S. News#3Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Dec 15
- Annual tuition
- $28,242
- Program duration
- 72 months
- 6
Yale University
- Grad School Navigator#8University rank
- QS#22Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#14Subject rank
- U.S. News#25Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Dec 15
- Annual tuition
- $50,900
- Program duration
- 72 months
- 7
California Institute of Technology
- Grad School Navigator#9University rank
- QS#7Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#1Subject rank
- U.S. News#5Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Dec 15
- Annual tuition
- $65,622
- Program duration
- 72 months
- 8
University of Pennsylvania
- Grad School Navigator#10University rank
- QS=48Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#31Subject rank
- U.S. News#44Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Jan 6 +1
- Annual tuition
- $46,540
- Program duration
- 72 months
- 9
University of Chicago
- Grad School Navigator#11University rank
- QS#18Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#15Subject rank
- U.S. News#9Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Dec 14
- Annual tuition
- $22,457
- 10
Columbia University
- Grad School Navigator#12University rank
- QS=23Subject rank
- Times Higher Education#16Subject rank
- U.S. News#12Subject rank
- Application deadline
- Dec 3
- Annual tuition
- $56,840
- Program duration
- 72 months
Use detailed filters for tuition, deadlines, duration, admission requirements, and rankings in Programs Explorer. Compare programs and create your application shortlist.
Compare all 156 programs in ExplorerPopular Criteria
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Complete Program List156 programs
The complete list of Physics PhD Programs, ranked by their global university rank first.
| Rank | University | Program | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Harvard University | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | 72 months |
| #1 | Harvard University | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics Program | 72 months |
| #1 | Harvard University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #2 | Stanford University | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | 72 months |
| #2 | Stanford University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Phd in Medical Engineering and Medical Physics (MEMP) | 72 months |
| #3 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | PhD in Physics | 84 months |
| #4 | Princeton University | Doctor of Philosophy in Astrophysical Sciences | 60 months |
| #4 | Princeton University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 60 months |
| #4 | Princeton University | Doctor of Philosophy in Plasma Physics | 60 months |
| #4 | Princeton University | PhD in Astrophysics | 60 months |
| #4 | Princeton University | Quantum Science and Engineering, PhD | 60 months |
| #6 | University of California, Berkeley | PhD in Astrophysics | 72 months |
| #6 | University of California, Berkeley | PhD in Physics | 72 months |
| #8 | Yale University | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | 72 months |
| #8 | Yale University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #8 | Yale University | PhD in Engineering & Applied Science | 72 months |
| #9 | California Institute of Technology | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | 72 months |
| #9 | California Institute of Technology | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #10 | University of Pennsylvania | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #11 | University of Chicago | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy and Astrophysics | 66 months |
| #11 | University of Chicago | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics | 72 months |
| #11 | University of Chicago | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #11 | University of Chicago | PhD in Quantum Science and Engineering | |
| #12 | Columbia University | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | 84 months |
| #12 | Columbia University | Master of Science|Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | |
| #12 | Columbia University | PhD in Physics | 72 months |
| #13 | Cornell University | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | 72 months |
| #13 | Cornell University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 84 months |
| #16 | Johns Hopkins University | Biophysics, PhD - Jenkins Biophysics Program | |
| #16 | Johns Hopkins University | PhD in Physics | 60 months |
| #16 | Johns Hopkins University | PhD in Physics& Astronomy | 72 months |
| #17 | University of California, Los Angeles | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics and Astronomy | 84 months |
| #19 | University of Michigan--Ann Arbor | PhD in Applied Physics | |
| #19 | University of Michigan--Ann Arbor | PhD in Physics | 60 months |
| #21 | Carnegie Mellon University | PhD in Physics | 48 months |
| #22 | Duke University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 60 months |
| #22 | Duke University | PhD in Medical Physics | 72 months |
| #23 | Northwestern University | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | 60 months |
| #23 | Northwestern University | PhD in Physics | 72 months |
| #24 | New York University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 60 months |
| #25 | University of Washington | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 120 months |
| #26 | University of California San Diego | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 9 months |
| #26 | University of California San Diego | PhD, Physics (Biophysics) | |
| #30 | Brown University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 60 months |
| #31 | The University of Texas at Austin | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 78 months |
| #33 | Georgia Institute of Technology | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #34 | Rice University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #34 | Rice University | PhD in Applied Physics | |
| #34 | Rice University | PhD in Physics and Astronomy | |
| #35 | University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physical Sciences | |
| #35 | University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics or Astronomy | 72 months |
| #35 | University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill | PhD in Physics | |
| #36 | Washington University in St. Louis | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #38 | University of Wisconsin--Madison | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics | 84 months |
| #38 | University of Wisconsin--Madison | PhD in Physics | |
| #39 | Purdue University--West Lafayette | Doctor of Philosophy in Health Physics | 60 months |
| #39 | Purdue University--West Lafayette | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics | 60 months |
| #39 | Purdue University--West Lafayette | PhD in Physics | |
| #40 | Pennsylvania State University--University Park | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #41 | University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 84 months |
| #42 | University of Southern California | PhD program in Physics and Astronomy | |
| #43 | Emory University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #47 | Dartmouth College | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics | 60 months |
| #47 | Dartmouth College | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics and Astronomy | 60 months |
| #52 | Vanderbilt University | PhD in Astrophysics | |
| #52 | Vanderbilt University | PhD in Physics | |
| #55 | University of Virginia | Doctor of Philosophy program in Physics | |
| #59 | University of California--Santa Barbara | Doctor of Philosophy in Astrophysics Emphasis | |
| #59 | University of California--Santa Barbara | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #61 | University of Rochester | PhD in physics and astronomy | 84 months |
| #62 | University of California, Davis | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 84 months |
| #64 | University of Maryland, College Park | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 84 months |
| #65 | University of California--Irvine | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (Chemical and Materials Physics) | |
| #65 | University of California--Irvine | Doctor of philosophy in Physiology & Biophysics | 60 months |
| #65 | University of California--Irvine | PhD in Physics | 72 months |
| #72 | University of Minnesota--Twin Cities | Doctor of Philosophy in Astrophysics | 60 months |
| #72 | University of Minnesota--Twin Cities | Doctor of Philosophy in Medical Physics | |
| #72 | University of Minnesota--Twin Cities | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #75 | University of Pittsburgh | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics & Astronomy | 84 months |
| #77 | University of Notre Dame | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 24 months |
| #78 | Tufts University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #78 | Tufts University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics: Astrophysics | |
| #78 | Tufts University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics: Chemical Physics | |
| #81 | Rutgers University--New Brunswick | PhD in Physics and Astronomy | 72 months |
| #84 | University of Massachusetts--Amherst | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #85 | Boston University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physiology & Biophysics | |
| #85 | Boston University | PhD in Physics | 60 months |
| #91 | Michigan State University | PhD in Physics | 66 months |
| #92 | Georgetown University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #93 | Texas A&M University--College Station | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | |
| #93 | Texas A&M University--College Station | Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy | |
| #93 | Texas A&M University--College Station | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 84 months |
| #95 | Ohio State University--Columbus | PhD in Physics | 72 months |
| #96 | University of Florida | PhD in Physics | 66 months |
| #98 | Virginia Tech | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #99 | University of Georgia | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics and Astronomy | 60 months |
| #114 | North Carolina State University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #119 | University of California, Santa Cruz | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 60 months |
| #124 | University of Arizona | PhD in Physics |
Show remaining 56 programs
| Rank | University | Program | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| #126 | Indiana University--Bloomington | Doctor of Philosophy in Astrophysics | 72 months |
| #126 | Indiana University--Bloomington | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #134 | University of Colorado Boulder | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #134 | University of Colorado Boulder | PhD in Astrophysical & Planetary Sciences | 72 months |
| #134 | University of Colorado Boulder | PhD in Optics, Nanostructures & Bioengineering Research Area | 72 months |
| #175 | Arizona State University--Tempe | PhD in physics | 72 months |
| #201–250 | Case Western Reserve University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 66 months |
| #201–250 | Case Western Reserve University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physiology & Biophysics | 72 months |
| #201–250 | Northeastern University | PhD in Physics | |
| #251–300 | Stony Brook University--SUNY | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months |
| #251–300 | Stony Brook University--SUNY | Doctor of Philosophy in Physiology and Biophysics | 84 months |
| #251–300 | University of Miami | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #251–300 | University of Texas--Dallas | PhD in Physics | |
| #301–400 | University of Utah | PhD in Physics | |
| #301–400 | George Washington University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 96 months |
| #301–400 | Tulane University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #301–400 | University of California, Riverside | PhD in Physics | |
| #301–400 | University of California, Riverside | PhD in Physics & Astronomy | 72 months |
| #301–400 | Boston College | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #301–400 | University at Buffalo--SUNY | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| #301–400 | University of Iowa | Doctor of Philosophy Physics | |
| #401–500 | Florida State University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 60 months |
| #401–500 | University of Delaware | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | |
| Auburn University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Baylor University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months | |
| Binghamton University--SUNY | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 72 months | |
| Brandeis University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 36 months | |
| Brigham Young University--Provo | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Brigham Young University--Provo | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics and Astronomy | ||
| Chapman University | Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree | ||
| Clark University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Colorado School of Mines | Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Physics | 24 months | |
| Drexel University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 60 months | |
| Georgia State University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Illinois Institute of Technology | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Lehigh University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 24 months | |
| Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Doctor of Philosophy in Astrophysical Sciences and Technology | 60 months | |
| Southern Methodist University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Syracuse University | PhD in Physics | 60 months | |
| Temple University | PhD in Physics | 84 months | |
| Texas Christian University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics with Astrophysics | ||
| UMass Boston | Applied Physics PhD | ||
| University at Albany--SUNY | Doctor of Philosophy Physics | ||
| University of Cincinnati | PhD in Physics | 60 months | |
| University of Denver | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| University of Kentucky | PhD in Physics | 60 months | |
| University of New Hampshire | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| University of Oklahoma | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics and Astronomy | ||
| University of Oregon | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | 36 months | |
| University of Tulsa | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Wake Forest University | PhD Degree in Physics | ||
| William & Mary | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Worcester Polytechnic Institute | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics | ||
| Yeshiva University | Doctor of Philosophy in Physiology and Biophysics | 71 months |
More Program Intelligence
Programs Explorer brings full program records, comparison tools, and proprietary intelligence into one workspace. Compare these 156 Physics PhD programs in the US and build your shortlist with evidence from 900,000+ real application shortlists.
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