Programs Best US PhD programs in physics?

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The discussion centers on identifying the top postgraduate physics programs in the United States. Key institutions mentioned include MIT, Stanford, Caltech, and UC Berkeley, which are highlighted for their high rankings. According to the US News & World Report, MIT and Stanford both received the highest score of 5.0, while Berkeley, Caltech, Harvard, and Princeton followed closely with scores of 4.9. Other notable programs include Cornell with a score of 4.7 and the University of Chicago and University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with scores of 4.6. UC Santa Cruz is acknowledged for its astrophysics program but is not considered among the top overall physics schools. The rankings are based on a scoring system, with alphabetical order used for institutions that received the same score.
SW VandeCarr
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Which are considered the best US post graduate schools for physics? I'm guessing MIT, Cal Tech and the University of Texas.
 
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rhombusjr said:
University of California Berkeley, Santa Cruz, San Diego, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton

Santa Cruz? They're known for their astrophysics program, but I'm fairly certain it's not at the top in physics.
 
Rhombus gave the USNews listing, which ranks by a score (and lists alphabetically within those tied with the same score.)

Berkeley Caltech Harvard and Princeton all got a score of 4.9

they were topped by only two, MIT and Stanford, which got 5.0.

They list MIT before Stanford only because M comes before S in the alphabet.

Here is the schools' standings by score. (forget about the order of listing)

5.0 Stanford, MIT

4.9 Berkeley Caltech Harvard Princeton

4.7 Cornell

4.6 Chicago, Champaign-Urbana (Illinois)

4.5 UC Santa Barbara
 
1. MIT and Stanford for overall science and math. 2. UC Berkeley in overall science and 3. Caltech in overall science
 

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