Best universities for life science degrees in the US 2022

The life sciences include agriculture and forestry, biological sciences, veterinary science and sport science.

Degrees in these subjects can lead to a whole range of careers including a vet, sports scientist, researcher or conservation expert. 

However, the skills you’ll pick up through such courses, like problem-solving, data analysis and research, are equally transferable to jobs that don’t require a lab coat. Non-science career paths include consultancy, teaching, political policy and law.

If you’re interested in a life sciences degree that offers flexibility and breadth, the US could be a good fit. You can choose to study across a range of courses in the life sciences and then home in on your interests in the third and fourth years.

Most veterinary medicine courses in the US are offered at the postgraduate level, and you will be expected to have completed an undergraduate degree already.

Famous US scientists include biologist Lynn Margulis, who transformed our understanding of evolution through her work on symbiosis, and Barbara McClintock, who was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1983 for her discovery of genetic transposition. 

These are the best universities in the US for a life sciences degree.

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Best universities in the world for life sciences degrees
Best universities for life science degrees in Australia
Best universities for life sciences degrees in Canada
Best universities for life sciences degrees in the UK

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 1. Harvard University

Founded in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest university in the US and a member of the prestigious Ivy League.

At undergraduate level, the university offers a four-year liberal arts and sciences programme. You can study a range of courses and only need to declare your major or concentration in your second year.

Concentrations in the life sciences include biomedical engineering, human developmental and regenerative biology, human evolutionary biology, integrative biology and molecular and cellular biology among others. 

The university also offers a Master of Science in a number of areas, including biostatistics, immunology and biophysics. The Harvard Integrated Life Sciences programme covers 14 different PhD programmes, which offers students the flexibility to conduct research in the areas they are most interested in. 

Harvard University has one of the largest endowments of any university in the world and is well known for its generous financial aid programme.  

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Founded in 1861, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is an independent, co-educational, private research university based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

At MIT you can choose between eight interdisciplinary undergraduate life science programmes, including chemistry and biology, molecular biology, and humanities and science. Within these programmes you can take an array of classes in the life sciences, covering everything from human physiology to experimental biology and biostatistics. MIT even offers a new class on understanding Covid-19, run by leading experts in host cell biology, immunity and vaccine development.

There are also many options for a minor, and a range of graduate programmes specialising in the life sciences.

Among its 89 Nobel winners is current MIT professor H. Robert Horvitz, known for his research analysing the role of genes in animal development, and how this could be useful in tackling human disease.

Scientific discoveries and technological advances accredited to MIT also include the first chemical synthesis of penicillin and the development of radar.

3. Princeton University 

Princeton University follows a liberal arts curriculum, with students opting to study either a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of science. Students can choose to study across a range of these subjects and declare their major in their first or second year.

Undergraduate programmes within the life sciences discipline available at Princeton include molecular biology, ecology and evolutionary biology and environmental studies.

At a postgraduate level students can choose to undertake research in a range of subjects including molecular biology and cellular biochemistry. 

Princeton University is also one of the world’s foremost research universities with connections to more than 40 Nobel laureates, 17 winners of the National Medal of Science and five recipients of the National Humanities Medal.

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What can you do with an agriculture degree?
What can you do with a biology degree?
What can you do with a sports science degree?
What can you do with a veterinary science degree?

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4.  California Institute of Technology

Founded in 1891, California Institute of Technology (Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California. 

The division of biology and biological engineering, one of six divisions that make up the college, offers a range of majors – or options as they’re known at Caltech – in the life sciences, as well as an array of graduate programmes. These include bioengineering, computation and neural systems, neurobiology, and biophysics. You can then choose to minor in courses from the institute’s other divisions.

Alumni and faculty of Caltech have been awarded 39 Nobel Prizes, including current professor David Baltimore, who is known for his research in immunology, cancer research and biotechnology. Scientific discoveries at Caltech include antimatter, the nature of the chemical bond, quarks, and the foundations of molecular biology.

Caltech has a high research output alongside many high-quality facilities, both on campus and globally. These include the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Caltech Seismological Laboratory and the International Observatory Network.

5. Stanford University

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, Stanford University was founded in 1885, and has one of the largest college campuses in the US, with 18 interdisciplinary research institutes and seven schools on a single site.

Stanford’s curriculum offers considerable flexibility through its liberal arts approach. All undergraduate students are required to take classes in writing, ways of thinking and a foreign language, alongside a major or joint major.

Within this structure, you can take courses across a range of life sciences disciplines, including kinesiology, marine biology, human biology, physiology, ecology and many more. Undergraduate students pursuing a biology major are encouraged to undertake research, either by working in a research lab on campus or taking part in the Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Programme.

The coterminal master’s programme is designed for undergraduates who want to participate in graduate-level programmes and refine their research skills. 

Stanford University is also home to many leading research institutes in the life sciences, including Bio-X, a pioneering interdisciplinary biosciences research centre, the Baxter Laboratory in Stem Cell Biology, and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment.  

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Top universities in the US for the life sciences 2022

Click each institution to view its World University Rankings 2022 profile

US Life Sciences Rank 2022	WUR Life Sciences Rank 2022	University	State
1	1	Harvard University	Massachusetts
2	=3	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Massachusetts
3	5	Princeton University	New Jersey
4	6	California Institute of Technology	California
5	7	Stanford University	California
6	8	Yale University	Connecticut
7	9	University of California, Berkeley	California
8	10	Johns Hopkins University	Maryland
9	11	Columbia University	New York
10	12	The University of Chicago	Illinois
11	16	Cornell University	New York
12	17	University of California, San Diego	California
13	18	University of Washington	Washington
14	=19	University of California, Los Angeles	California
15	23	University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
16	26	Duke University	North Carolina
17	27	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	Michigan
18	30	University of California, Davis	California
19	32	Washington University in St Louis	Missouri
20	36	New York University	New York
21	=43	University of Wisconsin -Madison	Wisconsin
22	51	Northwestern University	Illinois
23	55	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Illinois
24	=60	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	North Carolina
25	68	Boston University	Massachusetts
26	71	University of Minnesota	Minnesota
27	72	University of Florida	Florida
28	73	Emory University	Georgia
29	74	University of California, Santa Barbara	California
30	=75	Michigan State University	Michigan
31	78	University of Texas at Austin	Texas
32	81	Vanderbilt University	Tennessee
33	=92	University of Massachusetts	Massachusetts
34	=96	Dartmouth College	New Hampshire
35	=98	University of Southern California	California
36	=100	Georgia Institute of Technology	Georgia
=37	101–125	University of California, Santa Cruz	California
=37	101–125	University of California, Riverside	California
=37	101–125	University of Colorado Boulder	Colorado
=37	101–125	Ohio State University (Main campus)	Ohio
=41	126–150	Brown University	Rhode Island
=41	126–150	University of California, Irvine	California
=41	126–150	Colorado State University, Fort Collins	Colorado
=41	126–150	Iowa State University	Iowa
=41	126–150	Penn State (Main campus)	Pennsylvania
=41	126–150	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus	Pennsylvania
=41	126–150	Texas A&M University	Texas
=48	151–175	Arizona State University (Tempe)	Arizona
=48	151–175	University of Delaware	Delaware
=48	151–175	University of Maryland, College Park	Maryland
=48	151–175	Rice University	Texas
=52	176–200	North Carolina State University	North Carolina
=52	176–200	University of Virginia (Main campus)	Virginia
=54	201–250	University of Arizona	Arizona
=54	201–250	Florida State University	Florida
=54	201–250	University of Georgia	Georgia
=54	201–250	Indiana University	Indiana
=54	201–250	Northeastern University	Massachusetts
=54	201–250	University of Notre Dame	Indiana
=54	201–250	Stony Brook University	New York
=54	201–250	Temple University	Pennsylvania
=54	201–250	Tufts University	Massachusetts
=63	251–300	Brandeis University	Massachusetts
=63	251–300	University of California, Merced	California
=63	251–300	Case Western Reserve University	Ohio
=63	251–300	George Washington University	Washington D.C
=63	251–300	University of Hawai’i at Mānoa	Hawai'i
=63	251–300	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	Nebraska
=63	251–300	Northern Arizona University	Arizona
=63	251–300	University of Rochester	New York
=63	251–300	University of Utah	Utah
=63	251–300	Washington State University	Washington
=73	301–400	University of Central Florida	Florida
=73	301–400	Florida International University	Florida
=73	301–400	Georgetown University	Washington D.C
=73	301–400	University of Iowa	Iowa
=73	301–400	University of Miami	Florida
=73	301–400	University of Montana	Montana
=73	301–400	University of Oregon	Oregon
=73	301–400	Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey	New Jersey
=73	301–400	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	Virginia
=73	301–400	Wake Forest University	North Carolina
=73	301–400	University of Connecticut	Connecticut
=73	301–400	University of Illinois at Chicago	Illinois
=73	301–400	Kansas State University	Kansas
=73	301–400	University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Maryland
=87	401–500	The University of Alabama	Alabama
=87	401–500	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Alaska
=87	401–500	University of Arkansas	Arkansas
=87	401–500	University at Buffalo	New York
=87	401–500	George Mason University	Virginia
=87	401–500	Georgia State University	Georgia
=87	401–500	University of Kansas	Kansas
=87	401–500	University of Kentucky	Kentucky
=87	401–500	Mizzou - University of Missouri	Missouri
=87	401–500	Montana State University	Montana
=87	401–500	University of Nebraska Medical Center	Nebraska
=87	401–500	University of North Carolina at Greensboro	North Carolina
=87	401–500	Ohio University (Main campus)	Ohio
=87	401–500	San Diego State University	California
=87	401–500	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	Tennessee
=87	401–500	William & Mary	Virginia
=87	401–500	University of Wyoming	Wyoming
=104	501–600	Auburn University	Alabama
=104	501–600	Georgia Southern University	Georgia
=104	501–600	Howard University	Washington D.C
=104	501–600	University of Idaho	Idaho
=104	501–600	Louisiana State University	Louisiana
=104	501–600	University of Memphis	Tennessee
=104	501–600	University of Rhode Island	Rhode Island
=104	501–600	Saint Louis University	Missouri
=104	501–600	University of South Carolina-Columbia	South Carolina
=104	501–600	University of Texas at El Paso	Texas
=104	501–600	Texas Tech University	Texas
=115	601–800	Clemson University	South Carolina
=115	601–800	Creighton University	Nebraska
=115	601–800	Florida Atlantic University	Florida
=115	601–800	University of Houston	Texas
=115	601–800	Mississippi State University	Mississippi
=115	601–800	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	Nevada
=115	601–800	New Mexico State University (Main campus)	New Mexico
=115	601–800	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	North Carolina
=115	601–800	University of North Carolina at Wilmington	North Carolina
=115	601–800	Nova Southeastern University	Florida
=115	601–800	Oklahoma State University	Oklahoma
=115	601–800	SUNY University at Albany	New York
=115	601–800	University of South Dakota	South Dakota
=115	601–800	Syracuse University	New York
=115	601–800	University of Texas at Arlington	Texas
=115	601–800	The University of Texas at San Antonio	Texas
=115	601–800	Texas State University	Texas
=115	601–800	University of Toledo	Ohio
=115	601–800	Wayne State University	Michigan