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Best universities for life sciences degrees 2024

Find the best universities for life sciences using Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024 data

    October 26 2023
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    Top 10 universities in the world for life sciences degrees 2024

    Scroll down for the full list of the best universities in world for life sciences degrees.

    Life sciences Rank 2024 Life sciences rank 2023 UniversityCountry/region
    1 1 Harvard UniversityUnited States
    2 2 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom
    3 4 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom
    4 5 Stanford UniversityUnited States
    5 3 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    6 7 Yale UniversityUnited States
    7 8 Princeton UniversityUnited States
    8 10 Johns Hopkins UniversityUnited States
    9 9 University of California, BerkeleyUnited States
    10 14 Imperial College LondonUnited Kingdom

    If you’re choosing where to study pharmacy, biochemistry, zoology or other related subjects, Times Higher Education’s ranking for life sciences can help you find the best universities in the world for your degree.

    The top colleges for life sciences are concentrated in the US and the UK: 190 of the 1,059 universities in the THE ranking for life sciences are in these two countries. Other countries that are well represented in this ranking include China, Japan and Germany. 

    Older prestigious institutions take the top spots, with Harvard University taking first place, closely followed by the University of Cambridge. 

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    Life sciences covers a range of subjects, from forestry to biotechnology. A full list of the degrees included and what you can do with them appears below.

    Graduates of life sciences degrees go on to work in a variety of fields including teaching, research, law and finance.  Many jobs directly use life science research and knowledge, such as roles in pharmaceutical companies, environmental work and forensic science.

    The life sciences ranking assesses universities using 18 indicators of excellence that evaluate teaching, research, research influence and international outlook. The full methodology can be found here.

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    Top five universities for life sciences degrees

    5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

    Many academic departments at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology offer courses in life sciences subjects to contribute towards a major or minor degree subject.

    Courses range from biological engineering – a discipline that combines principles of engineering and biological systems – to “science, technology and society”, which offers a more comprehensive overview of life sciences and its applications.

    The university offers undergraduate and postgraduate life sciences degrees. Although an undergraduate major in a life sciences subject is excellent preparation for many jobs, further study in health sciences or engineering is a common post-graduation option.

    Many life sciences graduates will continue on to medical school. Other career paths suggested by the School of Life Sciences are finance, intellectual property law and forensics.

    4. Stanford University

    Stanford University is particularly renowned for science and innovation, and university researchers, students and alumni contribute significantly to technological development in Silicon Valley, which is located right near the university.

    Stanford’s department of biology leads the way for life sciences research, while the bioengineering department creates a fusion of engineering and life sciences by inventing new technologies.

    The biology department offers courses in biochemistry, biophysics, computational biology, conservational biology and many other subdisciplines.

    Many Stanford alumni have won prestigious accolades, such as Nobel prizes, Rhodes scholarships and Turing awards.

    Of the more than 15,000 students, more than 20 per cent are international.

    3. University of Oxford

    Life sciences degrees at the University of Oxford are spread across a number of specialised departments within both the science and the clinical divisions of the university.

    Many world-leading academics work at the university. Richard Dawkins, the famous evolutionary biologist, is affiliated to the university and can often be seen around town or at public events.

    Oxford students each belong to a college, where they live, eat and attend small-group tutorials with teachers. Postgraduate students are more likely to live off campus and will not necessarily be taught within their colleges.

    Life sciences courses available at the University of Oxford include biology and earth sciences. 

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    2. University of Cambridge

    The University of Cambridge’s School of Biological Sciences contains nine departments and various research centres, including the departments of biochemistry, pharmacology and zoology.

    There is also a Graduate School of Life Sciences, which is responsible for master’s degrees and doctorates.

    Four major undergraduate programmes in life sciences are offered: biological sciences as a natural science specialism, a pre-clinical veterinary science programme, a psychological and behavioural sciences programme, and medical science.

    Students have close interaction with teachers through the tutorial system and are automatically members of their college communities, where they eat meals, live in college-owned buildings and attend recreational activities.

    Charles Darwin, perhaps the most famous life scientist of them all, was an alumnus of Christ’s College, Cambridge, and many other prominent biologists have studied or taught at the university.

    1. Harvard University

    As is the case at many US colleges, undergraduates at Harvard University have the opportunity to take a variety of different courses before declaring a major subject.

    Within life sciences, there are many interdisciplinary foundational courses grouped in nine concentrations to help students “explore the diversity of living systems”. The majors include biomedical engineering, neurobiology and human evolutionary biology.

    According to the university, life sciences graduates often go on to postgraduate work, including medical or scientific research. Other graduates have pursued careers in business, consulting and environmental advocacy.

    Harvard is perhaps the world’s best-known university; it regularly takes the top spot in global reputation surveys. It has built its reputation, wealth and influence over more than 400 years, having been founded in 1636.

    Although tuition is expensive, students from low-income families are fully supported by university grants.

    Best universities for life sciences 2024

    Click each institution to view its World University Rankings 2024 profile.

    Life sciences Rank 2024 Life sciences rank 2023 UniversityCountry/region
    1 1 Harvard UniversityUnited States
    2 2 University of CambridgeUnited Kingdom
    3 4 University of OxfordUnited Kingdom
    4 5 Stanford UniversityUnited States
    5 3 Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    6 7 Yale UniversityUnited States
    7 8 Princeton UniversityUnited States
    8 10 Johns Hopkins UniversityUnited States
    9 9 University of California, BerkeleyUnited States
    10 14 Imperial College LondonUnited Kingdom
    11 6 California Institute of TechnologyUnited States
    =12 18 Peking UniversityChina
    =12 11 Tsinghua UniversityChina
    14 12 Columbia UniversityUnited States
    =15 19 Cornell UniversityUnited States
    =15 13 ETH ZurichSwitzerland
    17 21 University of PennsylvaniaUnited States
    18 17 The University of ChicagoUnited States
    19 20 Wageningen University & ResearchNetherlands
    20 22 UCLUnited Kingdom
    21 16 University of WashingtonUnited States
    22 23 National University of SingaporeSingapore
    23 =24 University of California, Los AngelesUnited States
    24 15 University of California, San DiegoUnited States
    25 26 Duke UniversityUnited States
    26 28 University of California, DavisUnited States
    27 =24 University of TorontoCanada
    28 29 University of EdinburghUnited Kingdom
    29 30 University of Michigan-Ann ArborUnited States
    30 38 The University of TokyoJapan
    31 31 Karolinska InstituteSweden
    32 27 Universität HeidelbergGermany
    =33 =33 University of British ColumbiaCanada
    =33 35 Technical University of MunichGermany
    35 39 King’s College LondonUnited Kingdom
    36 37 University of MelbourneAustralia
    37 36 Washington University in St LouisUnited States
    38 32 The University of QueenslandAustralia
    39 40 New York UniversityUnited States
    40 =43 Kyoto UniversityJapan
    41 =33 LMU MunichGermany
    42 42 Fudan UniversityChina
    43 41 University of Hong KongHong Kong
    =44 =49 McGill UniversityCanada
    =44 =49 University of Wisconsin-MadisonUnited States
    =46 =47 Nanyang Technological University, SingaporeSingapore
    =46 46 University of SydneyAustralia
    =48 =47 Ghent UniversityBelgium
    =48 67 Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina
    50 =49 Northwestern UniversityUnited States
    51 =43 University of GöttingenGermany
    52 64 Zhejiang UniversityChina
    53 52 Uppsala UniversitySweden
    =54 55 KU LeuvenBelgium
    =54 61 University of ManchesterUnited Kingdom
    56 45 École Polytechnique Fédérale de LausanneSwitzerland
    57 =57 University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUnited States
    58 =57 University of TübingenGermany
    59 54 Monash UniversityAustralia
    60 56 Sorbonne UniversityFrance
    61 60 Australian National UniversityAustralia
    62 =71 Université Paris-SaclayFrance
    63 65 University of ZurichSwitzerland
    64 68 Seoul National UniversitySouth Korea
    =65 62 University of FreiburgGermany
    =65 =69 University of MinnesotaUnited States
    67 66 Emory UniversityUnited States
    =68 =86 Aarhus UniversityDenmark
    =68 =100 Osaka UniversityJapan
    70 78 University of MassachusettsUnited States
    71 =83 Lund UniversitySweden
    =72 75 Boston UniversityUnited States
    =72 =90 University of FloridaUnited States
    =72 =71 Vanderbilt UniversityUnited States
    75 =69 University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUnited States
    76 74 University of Science and Technology of ChinaChina
    =77 92 Chinese University of Hong KongHong Kong
    =77 =76 University of HelsinkiFinland
    79 53 Paris Sciences et Lettres – PSL Research University ParisFrance
    80 =88 University of Southern CaliforniaUnited States
    81 =88 University of GlasgowUnited Kingdom
    82 =76 Free University of BerlinGermany
    83 =57 Humboldt University of BerlinGermany
    =84 126–150 Purdue University West LafayetteUnited States
    =84 93 UNSW SydneyAustralia
    =86 79 University of BaselSwitzerland
    =86 =86 University of BonnGermany
    =86 =90 University of BristolUnited Kingdom
    89 81 The University of Western AustraliaAustralia
    90 126–150 Nanjing UniversityChina
    91 101–125 University of AmsterdamNetherlands
    92 97 Trinity College DublinIreland
    93 101–125 Yonsei University (Seoul campus)South Korea
    94 =98 University of LausanneSwitzerland
    95 101–125 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campusUnited States
    96 =98 Michigan State UniversityUnited States
    97 126–150 University of SheffieldUnited Kingdom
    98 =83 Stockholm UniversitySweden
    =99 101–125 City University of Hong KongHong Kong
    =99 94 University of ViennaAustria
    101–125 101–125 University of AberdeenUnited Kingdom
    101–125 101–125 University of AdelaideAustralia
    101–125 126–150 University of AlbertaCanada
    101–125 101–125 University of BirminghamUnited Kingdom
    101–125 126–150 Brown UniversityUnited States
    101–125 101–125 University of California, IrvineUnited States
    101–125 73 University of California, Santa BarbaraUnited States
    101–125 151–175 University of Cape TownSouth Africa
    101–125 101–125 University of CologneGermany
    101–125 101–125 Dartmouth CollegeUnited States
    101–125 =95 University of DundeeUnited Kingdom
    101–125 101–125 University of ExeterUnited Kingdom
    101–125 =100 The Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyHong Kong
    101–125 101–125 University of LeedsUnited Kingdom
    101–125 101–125 McMaster UniversityCanada
    101–125 101–125 Newcastle UniversityUnited Kingdom
    101–125 101–125 Queen Mary University of LondonUnited Kingdom
    101–125 101–125 Sichuan UniversityChina
    101–125 126–150 Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesSweden
    101–125 101–125 University of TasmaniaAustralia
    101–125 101–125 Technical University of DenmarkDenmark
    101–125 126–150 Texas A&M UniversityUnited States
    101–125 101–125 University of Texas at AustinUnited States
    101–125 151–175 Tohoku UniversityJapan
    101–125 126–150 Wuhan UniversityChina
    101–125 =95 University of WürzburgGermany
    126–150 151–175 University of BarcelonaSpain
    126–150 151–175 University of BernSwitzerland
    126–150 101–125 University of California, RiversideUnited States
    126–150 =100 University of California, Santa CruzUnited States
    126–150 126–150 Cardiff UniversityUnited Kingdom
    126–150 101–125 University of East AngliaUnited Kingdom
    126–150 126–150 Friedrich Schiller University JenaGermany
    126–150 126–150 University of GenevaSwitzerland
    126–150 176–200 Goethe University FrankfurtGermany
    126–150 176–200 University of GuelphCanada
    126–150 176–200 Hokkaido UniversityJapan
    126–150 151–175 Montpellier UniversityFrance
    126–150 176–200 University of MontrealCanada
    126–150 151–175 University of NottinghamUnited Kingdom
    126–150 126–150 Ohio State University (Main campus)United States
    126–150 126–150 University of OsloNorway
    126–150 101–125 Université Paris CitéFrance
    126–150 126–150 Penn State (Main campus)United States
    126–150 80 Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)South Korea
    126–150 151–175 Queen’s University BelfastUnited Kingdom
    126–150 126–150 Radboud University NijmegenNetherlands
    126–150 151–175 University of São PauloBrazil
    126–150 126–150 University of SouthamptonUnited Kingdom
    126–150 151–175 University of St AndrewsUnited Kingdom
    126–150 101–125 TU DresdenGermany
    151–175 151–175 University of AntwerpBelgium
    151–175 151–175 University of AucklandNew Zealand
    151–175 176–200 Autonomous University of BarcelonaSpain
    151–175 176–200 University of BergenNorway
    151–175 126–150 University of Colorado BoulderUnited States
    151–175 151–175 Delft University of TechnologyNetherlands
    151–175 201–250 University of Erlangen-NurembergGermany
    151–175 176–200 University of GothenburgSweden
    151–175 151–175 University of HamburgGermany
    151–175 126–150 Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHong Kong
    151–175 201–250 Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyChina
    151–175 =83 Institut Polytechnique de ParisFrance
    151–175 126–150 James Cook UniversityAustralia
    151–175 151–175 University of KonstanzGermany
    151–175 251–300 Kyushu UniversityJapan
    151–175 176–200 University of LiverpoolUnited Kingdom
    151–175 NR Macquarie UniversityAustralia
    151–175 251–300 Nagoya UniversityJapan
    151–175 176–200 National Taiwan University (NTU)Taiwan
    151–175 126–150 University of ReadingUnited Kingdom
    151–175 126–150 Rice UniversityUnited States
    151–175 126–150 Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)China
    151–175 151–175 Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamNetherlands
    151–175 176–200 University of YorkUnited Kingdom
    176–200 176–200 University of ArizonaUnited States
    176–200 176–200 Arizona State University (Tempe)United States
    176–200 251–300 Beijing Normal UniversityChina
    176–200 126–150 University of BremenGermany
    176–200 151–175 Université Catholique de LouvainBelgium
    176–200 201–250 Griffith UniversityAustralia
    176–200 176–200 University of Hawai’i at MānoaUnited States
    176–200 151–175 Iowa State UniversityUnited States
    176–200 101–125 King Abdulaziz UniversitySaudi Arabia
    176–200 201–250 La Trobe UniversityAustralia
    176–200 201–250 Université LavalCanada
    176–200 201–250 University of LeicesterUnited Kingdom
    176–200 176–200 Université Libre de BruxellesBelgium
    176–200 151–175 University of Maryland, College ParkUnited States
    176–200 201–250 University of OttawaCanada
    176–200 176–200 Queensland University of TechnologyAustralia
    176–200 201–250 University of RochesterUnited States
    176–200 251–300 Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU)South Korea
    176–200 151–175 University of TartuEstonia
    176–200 151–175 University of Technology SydneyAustralia
    176–200 201–250 Tel Aviv UniversityIsrael
    176–200 201–250 Ulm UniversityGermany
    176–200 201–250 University of Virginia (Main campus)United States
    176–200 176–200 Vrije Universiteit BrusselBelgium

    Editor’s note: As part of our THE statement on Ukraine published on 2 March 2022, Russian universities have been given less prominence in our rankings. Russian universities that met the criteria for this ranking are not displayed in the table above.

     

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