Top 10 Universities for Molecular Biology, Genetics

March 8, 2020AGNES JOSEPH Study abroad

Prospective students who want a degree in molecular biology and genetics will find well-regarded institutions that offer these programs around the world. However, the top 10 universities in this field are concentrated in the U.S. and United Kingdom. These global institutions offer an accomplished faculty and a range of specialties within the fields. Students typically earn a doctorate in molecular biology and genetics, but those pursuing a medical degree can sometimes combine research training in these fields. Here are the top 10 Best Global Universities for Molecular Biology and Genetics, as ranked by U.S. News based on academic research performance in that subject area.

10. University of California—San Diego

Location: San Diego

Best Global Universities overall rank: 19

Fact: Within the biomedical sciences program, the University of California—San Diego offers a graduate-level molecular cell biology track that allows students to study cancer cell biology, the cellular and molecular basis of human disease, and RNA splicing, among other areas of emphasis.

9. University of Pennsylvania

Location: Philadelphia

Best Global Universities overall rank: 16

Fact: The Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group, a graduate program at the University of Pennsylvania, boasts a faculty of more than 380 scientists, according to the program’s website. They come from a range of disciplines, including scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Arts and Sciences.

8. University of Washington

Location: Seattle

Best Global Universities overall rank: 10

Fact: The University of Washington‘s molecular and cellular biology graduate program is offered in partnership with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, according to the school’s website.

7. Johns Hopkins University

Location: Baltimore

Best Global Universities overall rank: 11

Fact: Carol Greider, one of the joint recipients of the 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine, directs Johns Hopkins University’s department of molecular biology and genetics, according to the department’s webpage.

6. University of Oxford

Location: Oxford, England, U.K.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 5

Fact: The University of Oxford offers, among other programs, a graduate degree in genomic medicine and statistics. Students earn a doctoral degree after completing the four-year program, according to the school’s website.

5. University of Cambridge

Location: Cambridge, England, U.K.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 9

Fact: The department of genetics at the University of Cambridge has more than 25 research groups, according to the school’s website. They focus on areas such as developmental biology, microbial genetics, and evolution and population genetics.

4. University of California—San Francisco

Location: San Francisco

Best Global Universities overall rank: 15

Fact: In the Tetrad graduate program at the University of California—San Francisco, students focus their doctoral studies on biochemistry and molecular biology, cell biology, developmental biology and genetics, but the program as a whole emphasizes interdisciplinary research, according to the school’s website.

3. Stanford University

Location: Stanford, California, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 3

Fact: Most students in Stanford University’s department of genetics are working toward a doctorate, but students pursuing a medical degree may also conduct research in genetics, according to the school’s website.

2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 2

Fact: Research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s department of biology focuses on topics in genetics such as gene editing, phenotypic variability and cancer, according to the school’s website.

1. Harvard University