best cancer biology phd programs

Oncology and Cancer Biology Graduate Programs in America

1-23 of 23 results

Stanford University School of Medicine

Stanford, CA •

Stanford University •

Graduate School

• • Rating 5 out of 5   3 reviews

Doctoral Student: I begin in the Fall of 2023--Based on my interview, and pre-classes I have taken this program is amazing. It is very student-centered. ... Read 3 reviews

Stanford University ,

Graduate School ,

STANFORD, CA ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says I begin in the Fall of 2023--Based on my interview, and pre-classes I have taken this program is amazing. It is very student-centered. .

Read 3 reviews.

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Nashville, TN •

Vanderbilt University •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   2 reviews

Graduate Student: Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Loved my experience! Great teachers, easy to access, clear cut goals in class, great clinical experiences. ... Read 2 reviews

Vanderbilt University ,

NASHVILLE, TN ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Graduate Student says Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Loved my experience! Great teachers, easy to access, clear cut goals in class, great clinical experiences. .

Read 2 reviews.

Biological Sciences Division - University of Chicago

Chicago, IL •

University of Chicago •

• • Rating 4 out of 5   1 review

Master's Student: So far so good. Nothing out of the ordinary. Professors are knowledgeable. I would say to ensure that you know your interests and work closely with the advisors to pick suitable classes. ... Read 1 review

University of Chicago ,

CHICAGO, IL ,

1 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says So far so good. Nothing out of the ordinary. Professors are knowledgeable. I would say to ensure that you know your interests and work closely with the advisors to pick suitable classes. .

Read 1 reviews.

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Keck School of Medicine

Los Angeles, CA •

University of Southern California •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   7 reviews

Current Master's student: The Keck School of Medicine's Translational Genomics Program is a rigorous and comprehensive program that provides students with a strong foundation in genomics research and its applications. The program offers excellent resources and facilities for students, including state-of-the-art laboratories and access to cutting-edge technology. The faculty are knowledgeable and supportive, and the curriculum is well-structured and challenging. there are some areas where the program could be improved. One concern is the safety of the area surrounding the campus, which can be a bit dangerous. It would be beneficial for the program to improve security measures in order to ensure the safety of students and faculty. In addition, the program currently does not offer on-campus job opportunities, which can be challenging for international students who are not eligible to work off-campus. ... Read 7 reviews

University of Southern California ,

LOS ANGELES, CA ,

7 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Current Master's student says The Keck School of Medicine's Translational Genomics Program is a rigorous and comprehensive program that provides students with a strong foundation in genomics research and its applications. The... In addition, the program currently does not offer on-campus job opportunities, which can be challenging for international students who are not eligible to work off-campus. .

Read 7 reviews.

University of Michigan Medical School

Ann Arbor, MI •

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor •

Current Doctoral student: University of Michigan Medical School offers an exceptional medical education experience. What is unique about Michigan medical school is the innovative focus they have on their curriculum and culture of continuous improvement. The pre-clinical curriculum is only 12 months, which allows students to start their core clinical rotations in their second year. This affords students the opportunity to gain and improve upon clinical skills early, have more time to do research and cultivate career interests, and builds a foundation of knowledge that makes the students some of the best clinically trained in the country. Not only is the student body full of people with diverse, impressive accomplishments and experiences, but the culture is one where students genuinely value and support each other. ... Read 2 reviews

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ,

ANN ARBOR, MI ,

Featured Review: Current Doctoral student says University of Michigan Medical School offers an exceptional medical education experience. What is unique about Michigan medical school is the innovative focus they have on their curriculum and... .

Georgetown University School of Medicine

Nw Washington, DC •

Georgetown University •

• • Rating 4.75 out of 5   4 reviews

Doctoral Student: Compressed pre-clinical work. Administration has been working on finding better and better educators, as well as hiring more learning specialists for the student body. Could have more focus on Step 1 and Step 2 preparation. ... Read 4 reviews

Georgetown University ,

NW WASHINGTON, DC ,

4 Niche users give it an average review of 4.8 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says Compressed pre-clinical work. Administration has been working on finding better and better educators, as well as hiring more learning specialists for the student body. Could have more focus on Step 1... .

Read 4 reviews.

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Wake Forest School of Medicine

Winston-salem, NC •

Wake Forest University •

• • Rating 4.82 out of 5   11 reviews

Master's Student: I am an incoming graduate student, excited to begin my masters in clinical research management! This program is just a few years old, and I am grateful to be a part of some of the first few cohorts to benefit from this specialized learning to gear one to lean and succeed in the clinical research industry. ... Read 11 reviews

Wake Forest University ,

WINSTON-SALEM, NC ,

11 Niche users give it an average review of 4.8 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says I am an incoming graduate student, excited to begin my masters in clinical research management! This program is just a few years old, and I am grateful to be a part of some of the first few cohorts... .

Read 11 reviews.

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Madison, WI •

University of Wisconsin •

Doctoral Student: The best part of being in the Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology program in UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health is the community. I love the diversity of endocrinology training my program has, as well as the tight-knit, family-style bonding we do over science. In my cohort alone, we are studying bovine ovarian cycles and luminal breast cancers all the way to diabetes and SSRI effects on bone density. SMPH does a great job of housing unique programs like my own, facilitating collaborations between labs, and providing great goals and standards for all students to learn and achieve together. Although expected with having a large campus and being in diverse fields, the worst part of my academic experience is being spread across campus from my friends. With our busy research schedules, these distances across campus stop us from studying together for classes as often as we should. ... Read 2 reviews

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University of Wisconsin ,

MADISON, WI ,

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says The best part of being in the Endocrinology and Reproductive Physiology program in UW-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health is the community. I love the diversity of endocrinology training... .

Miller School of Medicine

Miami, FL •

University of Miami •

• • Rating 4.67 out of 5   9 reviews

Doctoral Student: It is a vigorous program that trains us to provide the best healthcare to our patients. The training they are making us do reflects the environment we are going to be working in ... Read 9 reviews

University of Miami ,

MIAMI, FL ,

9 Niche users give it an average review of 4.7 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says It is a vigorous program that trains us to provide the best healthcare to our patients. The training they are making us do reflects the environment we are going to be working in .

Read 9 reviews.

Morsani College of Medicine

Tampa, FL •

University of South Florida •

• • Rating 4.8 out of 5   5 reviews

Doctoral Student: I am currently in my second year of the three year DPT program in the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences and my overall experience throughout the program thus far has been great. The faculty and staff have been very welcoming and invested in providing each and every one of my classmates the best opportunities and experiences to learn, grow, and develop as future clinicians. USF also has countless relationships, partnerships, and affiliations throughout the greater Tampa bay area, which is nice because you get to have frequent opportunities to go into the real world and network with potential future employers. ... Read 5 reviews

University of South Florida ,

TAMPA, FL ,

5 Niche users give it an average review of 4.8 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says I am currently in my second year of the three year DPT program in the School of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Sciences and my overall experience throughout the program thus far has been great.... .

Read 5 reviews.

University of Utah - College of Medicine

Salt Lake City, UT •

University of Utah •

• • Rating 5 out of 5   5 reviews

Doctoral Student: I have been completely overwhelmed by the opportunities in my program. The curriculum is incredibly crafted, with professors who care about our success and who have made an immense effort to make the courses worthwhile. We have access to mental health support, academic support, and mentorship from day 1. ... Read 5 reviews

University of Utah ,

SALT LAKE CITY, UT ,

5 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says I have been completely overwhelmed by the opportunities in my program. The curriculum is incredibly crafted, with professors who care about our success and who have made an immense effort to make the... .

University of Arizona - College of Medicine

Tucson, AZ •

University of Arizona •

Doctoral Student: A major advantage of UACOM is its early clinical exposure, allowing students to start hands-on patient care early in their education. This practical experience is integrated with basic science learning, helping students develop clinical skills from the beginning. Additionally, UACOM offers various distinction tracks such as Global Health, Integrative Medicine, and Rural Health, enabling students to customize their education to their interests and career goals. UACOM is also well-regarded for its research opportunities, consistently ranking among the top medical schools for research. Affiliation with Banner Health provides access to cutting-edge research facilities and resources. However, there are challenges. The high cost of tuition and associated fees can be a significant financial burden, potentially limiting access for some students. The rigorous demands of the program also affect students' work-life balance, with intense workloads and long hours typical of medical education. ... Read 3 reviews

University of Arizona ,

TUCSON, AZ ,

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says A major advantage of UACOM is its early clinical exposure, allowing students to start hands-on patient care early in their education. This practical experience is integrated with basic science... UACOM is also well-regarded for its research opportunities, consistently ranking among the top medical schools for research. Affiliation with Banner Health provides access to cutting-edge research... However, there are challenges. The high cost of tuition and associated fees can be a significant financial burden, potentially limiting access for some students. The rigorous demands of the program... .

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Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Buffalo, NY •

University at Buffalo, SUNY •

• • Rating 4.33 out of 5   3 reviews

Doctoral Student: The curriculum is challenging but also rewarding. The only comment that I would give would be to focus more on content for the board exams. ... Read 3 reviews

University at Buffalo, SUNY ,

BUFFALO, NY ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says The curriculum is challenging but also rewarding. The only comment that I would give would be to focus more on content for the board exams. .

Drexel University College of Medicine

Philadelphia, PA •

Drexel University •

• • Rating 4.44 out of 5   9 reviews

Doctoral Student: Drexel's flipped classroom curriculum creates a lot of space for medical students to pursue extracurricular opportunities. Because I can watch lectures on my own schedule, I have been able to invest time in research, volunteering, and several school organizations. Additionally, the curriculum itself is set up in a way that makes me feel confident to succeed in bigger-picture aspects of this educational path, like passing Step 1 and being prepared for third-year clerkships. ... Read 9 reviews

Drexel University ,

PHILADELPHIA, PA ,

9 Niche users give it an average review of 4.4 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says Drexel's flipped classroom curriculum creates a lot of space for medical students to pursue extracurricular opportunities. Because I can watch lectures on my own schedule, I have been able to invest... .

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Denver, CO •

University of Colorado Denver •

University of Colorado Denver ,

DENVER, CO ,

Misher College of Arts and Sciences

Saint Joseph's University - School of Health Professions •

Saint Joseph's University - School of Health Professions ,

School of Medicine - Wayne State University

Detroit, MI •

Wayne State University •

Doctoral Student: Wayne State University School of Medicine has a collection of central tenants, one of the most impactful, personally, has been the drive to focus our academic curriculum to better serve a low-income, racially-segregated, urban environment such as Detroit. As a student at WSUSOM, there isn't a lesson that goes by that doesn't acknowledge how, as the future generation of medical professionals, (we) have the potential to bring forth a new age of equality in healthcare as a whole. For example, during my class orientation, the majority of time was utilized to address present, and systemic, disparities in healthcare services between the city of Detroit and its geographical neighbors (areas often populated by wealthy suburban families). That was the first day, during orientation, and the lesson has already set in. Beyond WSUSOM focus on social and policy change in the medical field, our academic curriculum is bolstered by incredible clinical partnerships with the hospitals in metro-Detroit! ... Read 3 reviews

Wayne State University ,

DETROIT, MI ,

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says Wayne State University School of Medicine has a collection of central tenants, one of the most impactful, personally, has been the drive to focus our academic curriculum to better serve a low-income,... .

College of Medicine and Life Sciences - University of Toledo

Toledo, OH •

University of Toledo •

Alum: The best parts were how the professors worked with you to ensure success. The worst part was the limited resources financially. ... Read 3 reviews

University of Toledo ,

TOLEDO, OH ,

Featured Review: Alum says The best parts were how the professors worked with you to ensure success. The worst part was the limited resources financially. .

College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences - University of the District of Columbia

Washington, DC •

University of the District of Columbia •

University of the District of Columbia ,

WASHINGTON, DC ,

McGovern Medical School

Houston, TX •

University of Texas - Health Science Center at Houston •

Niche User: The cardiac perfusion program is only 1 year long! The program does not require you to live on campus ! It’s not very expensive either ! ... Read 3 reviews

University of Texas - Health Science Center at Houston ,

HOUSTON, TX ,

Featured Review: Niche User says The cardiac perfusion program is only 1 year long! The program does not require you to live on campus ! It’s not very expensive either ! .

School of Medicine - Oregon Health & Science University

Portland, OR •

Oregon Health & Science University •

• • Rating 4.5 out of 5   2 reviews

Master's Student: One great thing about OHSU is the clinical experience available. Since the college is connected with the hospital, i know across different programs students take classes or work at the hospital. ... Read 2 reviews

Oregon Health & Science University ,

PORTLAND, OR ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says One great thing about OHSU is the clinical experience available. Since the college is connected with the hospital, i know across different programs students take classes or work at the hospital. .

College of Allied Health Professions - University of Nebraska Medical Center

Omaha, NE •

University of Nebraska Medical Center •

University of Nebraska Medical Center ,

OMAHA, NE ,

Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences - University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas, TX •

University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center •

University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center ,

DALLAS, TX ,

Showing results 1 through 23 of 23

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Integrated Biomedical Sciences (IBS)

Cancer biology phd program.

The GW Cancer Biology PhD program is designed to equip the next generation of researchers with the knowledge, research training and leadership skills necessary to foster progress in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer. The PhD program provides research training in areas reflecting GW faculty expertise, which includes the study of cancer signaling and checkpoint inhibitors, cancer immunology and immunotherapy, and molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis and metastasis, cancer genomics and epigenetics and the tumor microenvironment.

The  GW Cancer Center (GWCC)  brings together cancer research, clinical cancer care, and cancer control/prevention and outreach initiatives at GW, and offers students a range of exciting research programs, seminars and retreats. Researcher labs are located on the 8th floor of the contemporary Science and Engineering Hall, in Ross Hall and other locations. An important focus for the Cancer Center is to address prominent health disparities in breast, cervical, colorectal, pancreatic, liver and prostate cancers faced by communities in the District of Columbia. Students have access to cutting-edge core facilities for flow cytometry, imaging, and computational biology as well as the  Cell Enhancement and Technologies for Immunotherapy (CETI) lab , and state-of-the art  GW Biorepository  resource of biospecimens and clinical data to facilitate research on HIV/AIDS and cancer.

The  GW Cancer Biology Training Program  (supported by NIH T32 CA247756) is a prestigious dual  basic/clinical mentorship  program guided by expert cancer researchers and clinician investigators designed to prepare the next generation of outstanding cancer research scientists. The two-year program for predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows includes courses and workshops as well as a discovery research project leading to an independent research career. Students apply for this program at the end of their first year, with their mentor and cancer-related research.

The PhD in Cancer Biology begins with the interdisciplinary coursework in molecular, cellular, and systems biology and research rotations offered through  GW’s Integrated Biomedical Sciences curriculum . In the second and third semester students add a comprehensive introduction to the conceptual and experimental underpinnings of cancer biology. Further electives, career development coursework in scientific writing, oral communication, and research ethics and laboratory rotations are provided. Following required laboratory rotations, students complete a. grant-style qualifier and then work with their research advisor and the Graduate Program Directors to complete remaining Cancer Biology degree requirements, including the research dissertation.

Cancer Biology Courses:

CANC 8221: The Basic Science of Oncology CANC 8222: Molecular Oncology and Epigenetics CANC 8998: Advanced Reading and Research Seminar Course CANC 8999: Dissertation Research

Some Suggested Electives:

GENO 6237: Proteomics & Biomarkers CANC 8223: Cancer Immunology BIOC 6240: Next Gen Sequencing HSCI 6263: Biostatistics Clinical Translational Scientific Research (online)

Seminars/Journal Clubs:

The Cancer Biology seminar series held is held Thursday at 4 pm, and the monthly Tumor Board discussions held each Friday morning at 8 am. An annual Cancer Center Retreat is held in May. Faculty and trainees share interest groups (breast, prostate, ovarian cancer) as well as thematic meetings (Cancer Biology, Cancer Immunology, Cancer Engineering), to focus on common research interests.

Examples of Recent Cancer Biology PhD Dissertations:

Sulgi (John) Lee PhD. 2020, “Identification and Characterization of Tumor Specific Antigens in Pediatric Diffuse Midline Gliomas” Mentors: Javad Nazarian, Eric Villain. (Now Application Scientist at Namocell, Washington DC)

Eden Dejene, PhD 2020 “Regulation of Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease Activity by Reversible Lysine Acetylation”. Mentor: Edward Seto, Inducted into Bouchet Society, NCI supplement. (Now Associate Scientist, Abcam, United Kingdom)

Graduate Program Directors:

Norman Lee, PhD Professor of Pharmacology & Physiology GWU; Ross Hall 601 [email protected]

Yanfen Hu, PhD Professor of Anatomy & Cell Biology GWU; Ross Hall 551-B [email protected]

How to apply  to the IBS and Cancer Biology PhD program.

For IBS Application Questions contact  Colleen Kennedy, IBS Program Manager  at  [email protected]

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Training the next generation of cancer researchers

Program Overview

The Cancer Biology program spans many disciplines, including cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, microbiology, pharmacology, pathology, epidemiology, bioinformatics, and immunology, to name a few. It represents a unique set of training and educational activities that, taken collectively, expose the student to the full breadth of cancer biology while allowing immersion in a specific dissertation topic of the student’s choice.

Faculty in the Program are interested in a number of topic areas, including: Cancer genetics; Cancer epigenetics; Tumor immunology; Cell biology; Epidemiology; Pathology; Tumor metabolism; Bioinformatics; Cancer drug discovery.

Projects range from fundamental studies of basic biological processes to translational research aiming to move basic findings into the clinic.

Apply through our PIBS application

Students in the Cancer Biology program are required to take core courses in Cancer Biology and Bioinformatics. PIBS core courses should be taken to fill gaps in knowledge or together with other electives, to strengthen a student’s knowledge base in an area of interest. Students are also required to participate in the Cancer Biology Seminar Series for the duration of their time in the program. The Cancer Biology Seminar Series course provides not only continued exposure to the breadth of cancer research but also experience in honing seminar presentation skills.

Preliminary Examination

The preliminary exam consists of two checkpoints. The first is a didactic exam that evaluates students’ understanding of the fundamentals of cancer biology. This exam will take place in May at the end of the first year in order to advance to PhD candidacy. The second checkpoint takes place in the winter semester of the second year and is comprised of two steps, the writing of a written research proposal (NIH format) and the oral presentation of the proposal to the preliminary exam committee.

Teaching Requirement

There are no formal requirements for teaching in the Cancer Biology program. However, opportunities exist for senior students to serve as teaching assistants for one term of the introductory cancer biology class. In addition, students with an interest in teaching are encouraged to pursue the U-M Graduate Teaching Certificate as a way to prepare themselves for careers that will involve college-level teaching.

Students help organize the annual Cancer Biology retreat, including selecting the keynote speaker. This fun and informal setting gives students, postdocs, and faculty the opportunity to present their research, generate collaborations, and receive feedback. Trainees and faculty give oral presentations and all members of our cancer research community are invited to deliver poster presentations. The retreat is a great opportunity for first year PIBS and MSTP students to explore the research and meet students and faculty in the Cancer Biology program.

Research Seminar/Journal Club

The Cancer Biology Graduate Program sponsors a weekly seminar program that runs through the academic year. Students are encouraged to nominate and host external cancer researchers whose work they find exciting and cutting edge. Senior students participate by giving oral presentations on their research progress and second year students give journal clubs highlighting the research of invited speakers.

Social Events

During the summer, students get together for a picnic and canoe trip that includes the summer undergraduate research students. At the beginning of the academic year, the program director hosts an orientation dinner for all to welcome the new students. There is an annual year-end holiday party along with monthly happy hours for students to relax in an informal setting.

Extracurricular

Students are involved in a variety of activities outside of lab. Many students give back to the community through educational and community outreach programs. Cancer Biology students have fun by attending sporting events, participating in outdoor activities, club sports, and arts/crafts events, and enjoying food/drink and museums – all which Ann Arbor offers.

The impact of cancer on all our lives emphasizes the need to continue training individuals to pursue research into its cure and prevention. The ongoing investment of the National Cancer Institute and non-governmental funding organizations including the American Cancer Society, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and others, means that research at universities and research institutes will remain a high priority, thereby providing jobs for cancer researchers with doctoral degrees. The complexity of cancer leads to the unfortunate realization that it will take many years to unlock all of its mysteries, resulting in a long-term need for persons trained in the field.

Besides the tremendous investment in basic cancer research at universities and non-profit organizations, the development of new therapeutic modalities for cancer represents a large percentage of pharmaceutical company expenditures. According to IMS Health, the global oncology market was growing at 6.8% overall in 2011, double that number in the pharmaceutical sector. In 2013, the worth of the market was approximately $75 billion just in the US. Given this huge investment in cancer research, the job market for individuals with doctoral degrees in cancer biology is very large and growing.

Learn more about the Department of Cancer Biology.

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Ph.D. in Molecular Cancer Biology

General info.

• Faculty working with students: 41
• Students: 34
• Part time study available: No
• Application terms: Fall
• Application deadline: November 30

Ann Marie Pendergast Director of Graduate Studies University Program in Molecular Cancer Biology Box 3813 Duke University Medical Center Durham, NC 27710

Phone: (919) 613-8600

Emails: [email protected] ,  [email protected]

Website:  https://pcb.duke.edu/education-training/molecular-cancer-biology-phd-program

Program Description

The molecular cancer biologists at Duke University seek to understand the complex regulatory mechanisms that govern mammalian cell growth and differentiation, discern how these mechanisms are perturbed in malignant cells, and how our knowledge of these regulatory mechanisms might lead to improved anti-cancer therapy. This research covers the boundaries of disciplines such as pharmacology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, genomics and cell biology, and has increased our knowledge of the basic mechanisms underlying growth regulation. To understand how and why these mechanisms fail, and how their failure results in the initiation of cancer requires an understanding of the molecules involved in chemically and cellularly precise terms, so as to decipher their ultimate impact on the growth and development of the organism.

The Program in Molecular Cancer Biology includes faculty from thirteen (13) participating departments. Program scientists are actively engaged in dissecting the regulatory networks that control the processes of growth and development at the cellular and molecular levels, and the defects that lead to oncogenic transformation. The approaches used by the investigators range from classical genetics and genomics to cell and molecular biology and protein biochemistry. An ultimate goal is identifying novel candidates for therapeutic intervention of oncogenesis. Graduate training in this program is greatly enhanced by the interaction between investigators.

Molecular Cancer Biology Program Goals:

• To train students in creative and innovative approaches to dissecting the regulatory networks that control the molecular, cellular and organismic processes required for tumor progression and metastasis. 
• The approaches used include genomics, proteomics, genetics, bioinformatics, state-of-the art omics technologies, cell biology, molecular biology and protein biochemistry.
• A major goal is to identify novel candidates for therapeutic intervention in the treatment of cancer.
• Graduate training in this program is greatly enhanced by the collaborative interactions among investigators across the University and the School of Medicine.
• The curricula are designed to provide a strong foundation in cancer biology while maintaining flexibility to pursue elective courses tailored for the student’s future research interests.
• Molecular Cancer Biology: PhD Admissions and Enrollment Statistics
• Molecular Cancer Biology: PhD Completion Rate Statistics
• Molecular Cancer Biology: PhD Time to Degree Statistics
• Molecular Cancer Biology: PhD Career Outcomes Statistics

Application Information

Application Terms Available:  Fall

Application Deadline:  November 30

Graduate School Application Requirements See the Application Instructions page for important details about each Graduate School requirement.

• Transcripts: Unofficial transcripts required with application submission; official transcripts required upon admission
• Letters of Recommendation: 3 Required
• Statement of Purpose: Required
• Résumé: Required
• GRE Scores – GRE General: Optional This program does not require applicants to provide GRE (Graduate Record Examination) or other graduate entrance exam scores, but does allow you to upload scores if you feel they enhance your application. If you choose to submit test scores, you may enter them on the Test Scores page. If you choose to enter self-reported test scores, official test scores will become a required component of your application.
• English Language Exam: TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test required* for applicants whose first language is not English *test waiver may apply for some applicants
• GPA: Undergraduate GPA calculated on 4.0 scale required

Department-Specific Application Requirements (submitted through online application)

Writing Sample None required

Additional Components Optional Video Essay: How would a Duke PhD training experience help you achieve your academic and professional goals? Max video length 2 minutes; record externally and provide URL in application.

We strongly encourage you to review additional department-specific application guidance from the program to which you are applying: Departmental Application Guidance

List of Graduate School Programs and Degrees

Wayne State University

School of medicine, cancer biology program cancer biology program, ph.d. program.

Our major basic scientific challenge in cancer biology research is to determine the underlying biological basis for malignancy and the clinical challenge is to apply this basic research to improve treatment of human cancers. To meet these challenges our Graduate Program in Cancer Biology has a scope and approach which transcends traditional department/discipline structures, while still providing knowledge and training in many disciplines including biochemistry, pathology, molecular biology, therapeutics, immunology, pharmacology and chemistry.  Ours therefore is an integrated inter-disciplinary graduate program.  Our program's goal is to develop within each student the approach to scientific thought and pursuit needed for original research as an independent cancer biology investigator.

The Ph.D. program consists of formal course work which provides a comprehensive education in the principles and research of cancer biology, as well as solid training in the core disciplines which serve modern-day cancer research.  Hence, graduates gain a broad understanding of the fundamental principles underlying this diverse field with in-depth knowledge in their dissertation discipline. Active participation in research seminars and original research are two basic elements of this program. The major element is training in the research techniques which comprise a sophisticated underpinning for future advances in cancer biology. Students must complete a publishable research project under a faculty mentor and successfully defend the dissertation research.

The program of each cancer biology student is tailored to their specific interests and research requirements. Previous educational experience is recognized so as to permit the student to progress as rapidly as possible. 

Since the program requires a broad understanding of cancer biology, a core curriculum is required.

Total credits above equal 34 credits

Also, a number of advanced cancer biology courses are provided from which the student will be required to choose 11 credit hours for a total of 45 coursework credits. A number of other courses are available to allow students to specialize with regard to a specific research discipline. 

It is expected that most course work will be completed in the first and second years. A written comprehensive qualifying exam is required by the end of the first year, followed by an oral exam of the proposed dissertation research. The third and subsequent years will be primarily devoted to dissertation research.  Forty-five credits of general research, including 30 credits of dissertation research, will complete the Graduate School requirements.

The Graduate Program in Cancer Biology provides research opportunities in many areas of Cancer Biology including Experimental Therapeutics, Metastasis, Breast Cancer, Carcinogenesis, Molecular Biology of Cancer, Cancer Immunology, as well as selected topics within the traditional departments of Pharmacology, Biochemistry, Immunology and Medicine. Students complete up to three laboratory rotations in the first year (one in each semester) after which he/she will choose a research project and a mentor.  At the end of the first year, the student must submit a Plan of Work. Following its acceptance, a permanent advisory committee is established. The progress of the student toward the goals of this program will be reviewed at frequent intervals and are required annually and the student advised accordingly.

Independent pursuit of research leading to results of publishable caliber is the prime evidence demonstrating the completion of the requirements remaining after a student has completed the prescribed coursework and been admitted to Ph.D. candidacy.  We offer a variety of research experiences in the broad field of Cancer Biology.  Although some students will be committed to a specific research area before they enter the program, others will want an opportunity to investigate projects in some detail before making a commitment. Research rotations provide an in-depth exposure to research prior to selecting a dissertation project. Seminars given by the faculty allow the students to become familiar with ongoing research in the program.

Since research is open-ended, the amount of time required for completion of a defensible dissertation cannot be predicted. Although the program is designed to require four to five years to complete, some variation in the length of the program for different students is to be expected.  Four years is a minimum expectation for this program. Realistic goals should be set and the student and dissertation mentor will discuss progress relative to these goals at frequent intervals. The final examination is the defense of the dissertation conducted by the student's Dissertation Committee. The program has no other formal requirements for successful completion of the Ph.D.

Application for the Graduate Program in Cancer Biology at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute of Wayne State University

To apply to the Graduate Program in Cancer Biology, send a personal statement, a curriculum vitae, a description of research experience, an official undergraduate transcript(s), a copy of GRE scores and three letters of reference to the following address. International applications are required to also send TOEFL scores. Dr. Anil Wali c/o Lanette Rowland Graduate Programs in Cancer Biology 329 Lande Building Wayne State University, School of Medicine 550 E Canfield Detroit MI 48201 Phone (313)577-1065 Fax (313)577- 4112 [email protected]

Download and complete the following pdf form: Download pdf Application Form Here

Also, complete the on-line application here

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Cancer Biology

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The Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology is a university-wide interdisciplinary training program that draws upon clinical and basic sciences from multiple departments and medical school divisions of the University of Miami.

The scientific focus is cancer research, emphasizing fundamental cellular processes, the deregulation in cancer, and the identification of novel diagnostics and therapeutic targets. In addition to training in technical aspects, the curriculum places a strong emphasis on scientific reasoning as the most essential and portable aspect of Ph.D. training.

The cross-disciplinary training includes novel concepts and state-of-the-art techniques of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, genomics, proteomics, structural biology, cell biology, pharmacology, and molecular medicine. This training is integrated into the extensive clinical and translational research programs of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Research in cancer biology stands out by the scale and rate at which basic science translates into tangible changes in the treatment of patients. At the same time, information flows back rapidly from the clinic to direct the next frontier in basic science and innovation.

To make maximum use of this exciting research environment, scientists need training in the relevant clinical concepts to translate questions and research needs back into their setting and to engage in collaborative efforts. Cancer biology graduate students receive guidance from both a research mentor and a physician mentor to facilitate this training. The research mentor is the dissertation advisor. The physician mentor provides a clinical perspective in cancer biology, including issues of diagnosis, management, and treatment of cancer patients and clinical research.

Key Areas of Research

Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center

The U was a phenomenal fit for me due to the culture of diversity and acceptance, academic excellence and scientific ambition. The close relationship with SCCC allows for a real bench-to-bedside perspective by giving access to clinical grand rounds, tumor boards and direct mentorship by clinicians in the field.

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Cell and Molecular Biology: Cancer Biology, PhD

Related programs.

• Cell and Molecular Biology: Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism, PhD
• Cell and Molecular Biology: Developmental, Stem Cell, and Regenerative Biology, PhD
• Cell and Molecular Biology: Gene Therapy and Vaccines, PhD
• Cell and Molecular Biology: Genetics and Epigenetics, PhD
• Cell and Molecular Biology: Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology, PhD

Cell and Molecular Biology

The Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Group (CAMB) is an interdisciplinary graduate program, providing rigorous training in modern cell and molecular biology, preparing students for leadership careers in biomedical research. Within this integrated program are six discipline areas:  Cancer Biology ;  Cell Biology, Physiology, and Metabolism ;  Developmental, Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology ;  Gene Therapy and Vaccines ;  Genetics and Epigenetics ; and  Microbiology, Virology and Parasitology . Program faculty include more than 300 scientists representing 35 departments from the Perelman School of Medicine, the Schools of Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the Wistar Institute and Fox Chase Cancer Center. The research efforts of these scientists are diverse in their focus, experimental system, methodology, and represent the leading edge of basic and translational biomedical science.

Students from colleges and universities around the nation and the world are enrolled in the program, selecting one discipline area based on their scientific interests, yet have access to the full breadth of curricular and research opportunities provided by this large and diverse program. Our students participate in core courses in cell and molecular biology, specialized coursework in one or more discipline areas, and original hypothesis-driven thesis research. Upon completion of the PhD, they pursue successful research careers at top academic institutions, in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, and in other biomedicine-related career paths.

For more information:  http://www.med.upenn.edu/camb/

Cancer Biology

The Program in Cancer Biology provides students focused training in a number of areas of cancer biology ranging from basic mechanisms to translational applications. Program faculty conduct research in DNA repair, epigenetics, metabolic pathways, the tumor microenvironment, cancer cell autonomous processes, cancer genetics and cancer immunology. Students take core molecular and cell biology courses, biostatistics course and elective courses in cancer biology and undertake three laboratory rotations of their choosing. Students have the opportunity to take grant writing courses, present in research-in-progress seminars, engage in networking opportunities, mentor undergraduates and high school students in Philadelphia as well as participate in outreach opportunities.

For more information: https://www.med.upenn.edu/camb/cb.html

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Cancer Biology PhD Graduate Programs

Researching cancer biology phd graduate programs.

Our goal is to prepare highly selected students for productive research careers in genetics. Because of the central role played by genetics in all biological processes and the vastly expanding applications of genetics to virtually every aspect of modern society we believe that it is as important for our students to develop a broad perspective as it is for them to become experts in a specific area. A broad perspective is indispensable for the formulation of long-term career goals as well as for productive collaborations that have become such an integral part of modern research. While developing a broad base through appropriate courses, first-year students participate in eight-week research rotations in faculty laboratories of their choice. These rotations provide the basis for selecting the area of genetics in which the student will become an expert. Seminar courses occurring each semester focus on current topics in genetics and molecular biology and are presented by investigators within and outside of Emory. We also believe that strong presentation and communication skills are critical to becoming a top-notch scientist. As such, GMB students present periodic progress reports on their own research to the assembled Program. In summary, the GMB graduate program strives to educate and train tomorrow's top geneticists today.

The Student Experience

To provide the basis for advanced research, introductory courses covering both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems are taken in the first year. First-year students obtain practical research training by participating in eight-week rotations in the investigators' laboratories of their choice. These rotations provide the basis for selecting dissertation topics and mentors. After completing the first year, students tailor their curriculum from a large list of specialized courses in genetics and molecular biology, as well as other areas of current biological sciences. All courses emphasize critical thinking, constructive literature evaluation, and presentation skills. Seminar courses occurring each semester focus on current topics in genetics and molecular biology and are presented by investigators within and outside of Emory. Students also present their findings in research-in-progress meetings, which are attended by their peers and the faculty. Student invited speakers, small group teaching experiences, and training in the ethical conduct of research round out the overall list of activities that occur as students conduct research and prepare their dissertation.

Research Opportunities

Research interests of the faculty vary in topic, approach and model organism. This interdepartmental graduate program derives its faculty from eight different departments including those from the departments of Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Human Genetics, Microbiology & Immunology, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Pharmacology, and the Winship Cancer Institute. More on Research Opportunities...

Training Opportunities

The graduate program in Genetics and Molecular Biology (GMB) at Emory University offers an exciting broad based training in the fields of genetics and molecular biology and their related disciplines of biochemistry, bioinformatics, cell biology, developmental biology and statistics. Research interests of the faculty vary in topic, approach and model organism. This interdepartmental graduate program derives its faculty from ten different departments including those from the departments of Human Genetics, Biology, Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Microbiology & Immunology, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Pharmacology, and the Winship Cancer Institute. A wide range of research opportunities in bacterial, viral, human and eukaryotic model system genetics enable students to specialize in their area of interest while obtaining an essential foundation in genetics. Areas of emphasis listed below are supported by state-of-the-art research facilities.

Research programs of the faculty fall into six major areas:

• Regulation of Gene Expression
• Development and Differentiation
• Cancer Genetics and Biology
• Human and Medical Genetics
• Bioinformatics and Comparative Genomics
• Genome Structure, Replication, Recombination And Repair

Program in Cancer Biology

Mission of the Program in Cancer Biology

To train new leaders in the field of Cancer Biology that will develop new knowledge that will translate into improved detection, diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, or treatment of cancer.

Research Areas of Emphasis

• Cancer Immunity, host tumor interactions, and angiogenesis
• Cancer Precision Medicine—targeted therapies and drug resistance using mouse modeling, human tumor tissues, and systems approaches
• Bioinformatic analyses of tumor heterogeneity including genome, proteome, metabolome, and immunome components during tumor progression
• Basic Cancer Biology—tumor progression, invasion and metastasis

Steering Committee

Ann Richmond, Program Director Rachelle Johnson, Director of Graduate Studies Jin Chen Barbara Fingleton Vito Quaranta Jeffrey Rathmell W. Kimryn Rathmell Julie Rhoades Alissa Weaver Chris Williams

News & Events

Jared Rhodes (Mentor James Goldenring, MD, PhD)

Jared won the best student graduate poster at the 23rd Annual Retreat for Cancer Biology! His research in Goldenring Lab examines fibroblasts and how they have recently been shown to promote the dysplastic transition of metaplastic lineages in the stomach. Specifically, conditioned media (CM) from gastric metaplasia and cancer-derived fibroblasts accelerated dysplastic progression in metaplastic gastroids. It remains unclear which factors secreted from fibroblasts cause this progression. Therefore, he performed scRNA-sequencing on normal, metaplasia, and cancer-derived fibroblasts. This revealed expression differences of many secreted factor encoding genes. Metaplastic gastroids were cultured in 30 and 50 kDa filtered CM from cancer-derived fibroblasts to narrow down candidate factors. 30 kDa filtrate CM enhanced dysplastic progression of metaplastic gastroids compared to 50 kDa filtrate. Therefore, they looked specifically for genes encoding 30 kDa or fewer proteins and found high SPON2 expression only in metaplasia and cancer-derived fibroblasts. SPON2 is a 30 kDa secreted protein shown to promote the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells. Therefore, they hypothesize that fibroblasts secrete SPON2 to induce dysplasia. The presence of SPON2 in CM was confirmed with mass spectrometry, detecting SPON2 only in metaplasia and cancer-derived fibroblast CM. Furthermore, STAT3 inhibition was evaluated because SPON2 has been shown to promote downstream signaling through STAT3. A STAT3 inhibitor suppressed the effect of cancer-derived fibroblast CM in the dysplastic progression of metaplastic gastroids. These are the first studies investigating fibroblast-derived SPON2 in the induction of precancerous gastric dysplasia. Understanding factors that contribute to gastric dysplasia represents an important area of research, as gastric cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide.

Yunli (Emily) Chu (Mentor Brent Ferrell, PhD)

Emily won the Best Talk award at the 23rd Annual Retreat in Cancer Biology! Emily’s research discusses Cytotoxic chemotherapy, which has been the mainstay of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment. There are no approved immunotherapies for AML due to our limited understanding of how CD8+ T cells respond to AML progression. To investigate CD8+ T cell dynamics in AML, we transplanted leukemic cells bearing the MLL-AF9 translocation into immunocompetent mice. Leukemic mice exhibited a shift in CD8+ T cell phenotype toward activation, characterized by reduced naive cells, increased effector cells, and elevated CD69 expression. Surprisingly, high-dimensional phenotyping using mass cytometry identified an enrichment of PD-1 and LAG-3 expressing T cells. Ex vivo stimulation demonstrated heightened TNF-α and IFN-γ production by leukemia-associated T cells. To test if the cytokine milieu is sufficient to induce the phenotypic changes, we stimulated isolated, naive CD8+ T cells in conditioned media containing serum from healthy or leukemic mice. Interestingly, exposure to the AML cytokine milieu alone failed to induce the phenotypic changes observed in vivo. These findings suggest that other factors, such as receptor-ligand interactions and nutrient competition, may play more prominent roles in shaping T-cell responses in AML. In summary, these studies highlight that AML can profoundly influence the phenotype and function of CD8+ T cells. AML induces a dysfunctional phenotype in CD8+ T cells, though functionally, these cells produced more cytokines. It is possible that the secretion of inflammatory cytokines by CD8+ T cells contributes to AML cell proliferation. Future studies will focus on the mechanisms underlying phenotypic changes and immune escape in AML, seeking ways to disrupt these interactions.

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Key searches, cancer biology and genomics, about the cancer biology and genomics phd program.

The PhD program in Cancer Biology and Genomics (CBG) focuses on training investigators in strategies to understand the mechanisms of cancer development and progression which includes cell biological and genomic approaches. The ultimate objective is to translate basic findings into diagnostics, treatments and ultimate cures.

The program applies a multidisciplinary approach toward these goals, with the full realization that cancers in different organs represent different diseases. However all cancers relate to uncontrolled cell proliferation with many cancers having a strong genetic predisposition. Consequently, major features of this program include the breadth of medically related interests and training and faculty characterized by wide and varied skills in many cancer-related research areas. To facilitate the application of multidisciplinary approaches to make cancer a disease of the past, close and regular contact between participating faculty of different disciplines and students is a major theme of this PhD program.

Explore more about Cancer Biology and Genomics in this infographic .

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Cancer Biology

Graduate program, cancer biology program.

The interdepartmental program leading to the PhD in Cancer Biology combines training in the basic biomedical sciences with opportunities to apply clinical and translational research to studies on human cancer.

Would you like to make a difference by supporting graduate student training?

Please consider donating to the Cancer Biology Graduate Program.

I chose to join the Cancer Biology PhD program at CU Anschutz for a variety of reasons. (1) Its collaborative atmosphere and commitment to high quality mentorship for students whether they intend on pursuing academic or non-academic future roles, (2) the program's genuine concern for student well-being and commitment to inclusivity to create an empowering and diverse learning environment, and (3) the wealth of opportunities to learn about every step of bringing discoveries from bench-to-bedside. In addition to gaining technical scientific knowledge from world-class scientists, I've personally had the pleasure of learning about patient experiences and clinical trial design from Medical Oncologists at UC Health and the process of cancer therapeutic commercialization from Business Development and Licensing professionals at CU Innovations. Such experiences have made me a more well-rounded and patient-centered Cancer Biologist. 

- Phoebe Cao, Cancer Biology PhD Candidate

I joined the Cancer Biology Program because I wanted to explore the fundamental molecular mechanisms by which cancer cells form tumors. CU Anschutz gives me the opportunity to work with brilliant scientists from different fields of cancer biology.

- Abraham Martinez, Cancer Biology PhD Candidate

I joined the Cancer Biology Graduate Program at CU Anschutz to accomplish my goals of improving the standard of care and quality of life for patients through cutting edge research. CU Anschutz has stellar resources, such as the Cancer Center and the hospital which further enhance my translational studies.

- Daniela Ortiz Chavez, Cancer Biology PhD Trainee

I chose to join the Cancer Biology Graduate Program because of the unique position for collaboration, which is essential in cancer research. The senior students and mentors guide new students and provide an excellent research environment. As an international student, the program embraces diversity and makes me feel welcome.

- Li-Wei Kuo, Cancer Biology PhD Candidate

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Best Global Universities for Oncology in the United States

These are the top universities in the United States for oncology, based on their reputation and research in the field. Read the methodology »

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Here are the best global universities for oncology in the United States

Harvard university, johns hopkins university, cornell university, university of california san francisco, yale university, university of california los angeles, vanderbilt university, university of pennsylvania, university of washington seattle, university of michigan.

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• # 1 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 1 in Best Global Universities

Founded in 1636, Harvard University is the oldest higher education institution in the U.S. The bulk of Harvard's... Read More

• # 2 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 10 in Best Global Universities

Johns Hopkins University is a private institution that was founded in 1876. The school has campuses located in and... Read More

• # 3 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 21 in Best Global Universities

Cornell University is a private institution that was founded in 1865. The Ivy League school is located in Ithaca, New... Read More

• # 4 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 16 in Best Global Universities  (tie)

The University of California—San Francisco is a public institution that was founded in 1864. The health sciences-focused... Read More

• # 6 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 11 in Best Global Universities

Yale University was founded in 1701, making it one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the U.S. The... Read More

• # 7 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 14 in Best Global Universities

The University of California—Los Angeles, commonly referred to as UCLA, is a public institution that was founded in... Read More

• # 9 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 78 in Best Global Universities

• # 10 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 15 in Best Global Universities

The University of Pennsylvania, also known as Penn, was founded in 1740. The private, Ivy League institution is located... Read More

• # 11 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 6 in Best Global Universities

The University of Washington is a public institution that was founded in 1861. The school's oldest and largest campus in... Read More

• # 12 in Best Universities for Oncology
• # 19 in Best Global Universities

The University of Michigan—Ann Arbor is a public institution that was founded in 1817 and made the city of Ann Arbor its... Read More

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2024 Best Oncology & Cancer Biology Schools

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 24 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Oncology & Cancer Biology Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 150 degrees in oncology & cancer biology during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

• Best Overall Oncology & Cancer Biology Schools List

Choosing a Great Oncology & Cancer Biology School

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Oncology & Cancer Biology Degree Level

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Oncology & Cancer Biology Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings , to help you make that decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state .

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology .

Best Schools for Oncology & Cancer Biology in the United States

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the oncology and cancer biology degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Schools in Oncology and Cancer Biology

Vanderbilt University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in oncology & cancer biology. Located in the large city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were about 6 oncology & cancer biology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available.

Stanford University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in oncology & cancer biology. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 17 oncology & cancer biology students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year.

It is difficult to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you want to pursue a degree in oncology & cancer biology. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 5 oncology & cancer biology students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available.

University of Wisconsin - Madison is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in oncology & cancer biology. UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 5 oncology & cancer biology students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.

Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were about 17 oncology & cancer biology students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year.

Located in the city of Houston, UTHealth is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.

There were approximately 7 oncology & cancer biology students who graduated with this degree at UTHealth in the most recent data year.

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 1 oncology & cancer biology students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

UChicago is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.

There were roughly 13 oncology & cancer biology students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 47 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas. More information about a degree in oncology & cancer biology from University of Kansas

Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall. More information about a degree in oncology & cancer biology from University of Iowa

Oncology & Cancer Biology by Region

View the Best Oncology & Cancer Biology Schools for a specific region near you.

Other Rankings

Bachelor's degrees in oncology and cancer biology, doctor's degrees in oncology and cancer biology, master's degrees in oncology and cancer biology.

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Rankings in Majors Related to Oncology and Cancer Biology

One of 13 majors within the Physiology & Pathology Sciences area of study, Oncology & Cancer Biology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Oncology and Cancer Biology

View All Oncology and Cancer Biology Related Majors >

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System ( IPEDS ) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s ( College Scorecard ).

More about our data sources and methodologies .

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50 Best Colleges for Biology – 2024

May 8, 2024

Biological sciences is the most popular major for those planning to one day apply to med schools. Many biology majors will also continue their education beyond a bachelor’s pursuing Master’s and Ph.D. degrees. With all of these challenges ahead, you’ll want to choose a renowned institution that is one of the best biology colleges and will help you emerge from four years of study ready to compete in a competitive job or graduate school market. The colleges and universities that made our list of best colleges for biology are known for producing knowledgeable graduates who have had ample opportunity for hands-on learning in research laboratories.

When choosing a degree program, you will likely have the opportunity to concentrate in a specific area such as Computational Biology and Mathematical Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Mechanisms of Disease, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Neurobiology.

Methodology 

Click here to read our methodology for the Best Colleges for Biology.

Best Colleges for Biology

Here’s a quick preview of the first biology institutions that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.

1) Swarthmore College

2) University of California, Los Angeles

3) Harvard University

4) Massachusetts Institute of Technology

5) California Institute of Technology

6) Williams College

7) Stanford University

8) Johns Hopkins University

9) University of Pennsylvania

10) Cornell University

All of the schools profiled below have stellar reputations in the field of biology and commit substantial resources to undergraduate education. For each of the best biology colleges, College Transitions will provide you with—when available—the university’s:

• Cost of Attendance
• Acceptance Rate
• Median  SAT
• Median  ACT
• Retention Rate
• Graduation Rate

We will also include a longer write-up of each college’s:

• Academic Highlights – Includes facts like student-to-faculty ratio, average class size, number of majors offered, and most popular majors.
• Professional Outcomes – Includes info on the rate of positive outcomes, companies employing alumni, and graduate school acceptances.

Swarthmore College

• Swarthmore, PA

Academic Highlights: Swarthmore offers forty undergraduate programs and runs 600+ courses each academic year. Small, seminar-style courses are the norm—an outstanding 33% of sections enroll fewer than ten students, and 70% contain a maximum of nineteen students. Social science degrees are the most commonly conferred, accounting for 24% of all 2022 graduates. Future businessmen/women, engineers, and techies are also well-positioned, given Swat’s incredibly strong offerings in economics, engineering, and computer science.

Professional Outcomes: 68% of Class of 2022 grads entered the workforce shortly after graduation. Popular industries included education (17%), consulting (16%), and financial services (13%); the median starting salary was $60,000. Google is a leading employer of Swarthmore grads followed by Amazon, Goldman Sachs, IBM, and a number of the top universities.  18% of 2022 grads pursued advanced degrees, with 35% pursuing a PhD, 35% entering master’s programs, 10% heading to law school, and 7% matriculating into medical school.

• Enrollment: 1,625
• Cost of Attendance: $81,376
• Median SAT: 1500
• Median ACT: 33
• Acceptance Rate: 7%
• Retention Rate: 96%
• Graduation Rate: 94%

University of California, Los Angeles

• Los Angeles, CA

Academic Highlights: UCLA offers 125 majors in 100+ academic departments, and more than 60 majors require a capstone experience that results in the creation of a tangible product under the mentorship of faculty members. The most commonly conferred degrees are in the social sciences (25%), biology (16%), psychology (11%), mathematics (8%), and engineering (7%). Departmental rankings are high across the board, especially in computer science, engineering, film, fine and performing arts, mathematics, and political science.

Professional Outcomes: UCLA grads flow most heavily into the research, finance, computer science, and engineering sectors. High numbers of recent grads can be found at Disney, Google, EY, Teach for America, Amazon, and Oracle. Hundreds also can be found at Bloomberg, Deloitte, Mattel, Oracle, and SpaceX. The average starting salary exceeds $55,000. 16% of recent grads enrolled directly in a graduate/professional school, with other CA-based institutions like Stanford, Pepperdine, USC, Berkeley, and Loyola Marymount being the most popular.

• Enrollment: 33,040 (undergraduate); 15,010 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $38,517 (in-state); $71,091 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: Test Blind
• Median ACT: Test Blind
• Acceptance Rate: 9%
• Retention Rate: 97%
• Graduation Rate: 93%

Harvard University

• Cambridge, MA

Academic Highlights: There are 50 undergraduate fields of study referred to as concentrations; many are interdisciplinary. Even with a graduate population of over 14,000 to cater to, undergraduate class sizes still tend to be small, with 42% of sections having single-digit enrollments and 71% being capped at nineteen. Economics, government, and computer science are the three most popular areas of concentration at Harvard. Biology, chemistry, physics, math, statistics, sociology, history, English, and psychology all sit atop most departmental ranking lists.

Professional Outcomes: The Crimson Class of 2022 saw 15% of students head directly into graduate/professional school. Of the graduates entering the world of work (virtually everyone else), 58% were entering either the consulting, finance, or technology field. Over 1,000 Harvard alumni presently work for Google and over 500 for Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs. Turning our attention to those moving on to graduate school, Harvard grads with at least a 3.5 GPA typically enjoy acceptance rates into medical school of 90% or greater.

• Enrollment: 7,240
• Cost of Attendance: $79,450
• Median SAT: 1550
• Median ACT: 35
• Acceptance Rate: 3%
• Retention Rate: 98%
• Graduation Rate: 98%

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates pursue one of 57 majors and 59 minors at this world-class research institution that continues to be one of the world’s most magnetic destinations for math and science geniuses.  The student-to-faculty ratio is an astonishing 3-to-1, and over two-fifths of all class sections have single-digit enrollments, and 70% of courses contain fewer than twenty students. The highest numbers of degrees conferred in 2022 were in the following majors: engineering (31%), computer science and engineering (28%), mathematics (10%), and the physical sciences (7%).

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2023 saw 29% of its members enter the world of employment and 43% continue on their educational paths. The top employers included Accenture, Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Google, General Motors, the US Navy, Apple, Bain & Company, and McKinsey. The mean starting salary for an MIT bachelor’s degree holder was $95,000. The most frequently attended graduate schools are a who’s who of elite institutions including MIT itself, Stanford, Caltech, Harvard, and the University of Oxford.

• Enrollment: 4,657
• Cost of Attendance: $82,730
• Acceptance Rate: 4%
• Retention Rate: 99%
• Graduation Rate: 95%

California Institute of Technology

• Pasadena, CA

Academic Highlights: Across all divisions, there are 28 distinct majors. Possessing an absurdly favorable 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio, plenty of individualized attention is up for grabs. Class sizes are not quite as tiny as the student-to-faculty ratio might suggest, but 70% of courses enroll fewer than twenty students, and 28% enroll fewer than ten. Computer science is the most popular major, accounting for 38% of all degrees conferred. Engineering (30%), the physical sciences (20%), and mathematics (6%) also have strong representation.

Professional Outcomes: Caltech is a rare school that sees six-figure average starting salaries for its graduates; in 2022, the median figure was $120,000. Forty-three percent of recent grads went directly into the workforce and found homes at tech giants such as Google, Intel, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta. A healthy 46% of those receiving their diplomas in 2022 continued directly on the higher education path, immediately entering graduate school. Ninety-seven percent of these students were admitted to one of their top-choice schools.

• Enrollment: 982
• Cost of Attendance: $86,886

Williams College

• Williamstown, MA

Academic Highlights: The school’s 25 academic departments offer 36 majors and a number of concentrations rather than minors. An unparalleled 40% of courses have fewer than ten students enrolled; the median class size is 12 students. Programs in economics, English, history, math, and political science are especially renowned, and the greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (26%), the physical sciences (10%), math and statistics (9%), psychology (9%), and computer science (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2022, 92% were employed or continuing their educational journey within six months of graduating. Business and education typically attract the most students, with popular companies/organizations including Apple, Google, Goldman Sachs, The New York Times Co., the Peace Corps, and Teach for America. The median annual income for 2022 grads was $75,000. 75% pursue an advanced degree within five years of leaving Williams, with the most frequently attended graduate programs being Harvard, Columbia, and Yale.

• Enrollment: 2,152 (undergraduate); 53 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $81,160
• Median SAT: 1520
• Acceptance Rate: 8%

Stanford University

• Palo Alto, CA

Academic Highlights: Stanford has three undergraduate schools: the School of Humanities & Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences. 69% of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 34% have a single-digit enrollment. Programs in engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, international relations, and economics are arguably the best anywhere. In terms of sheer volume, the greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (17%), computer science (16%), engineering (15%), and interdisciplinary studies (13%).

Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries in equal distribution: business/finance/consulting/retail (19%); computer, IT (19%); and public policy and service, international affairs (19%). Among the companies employing the largest number of recent grads are Accenture, Apple, Bain, Cisco, Meta, Goldman Sachs, Google, McKinsey, Microsoft, and SpaceX. Other companies that employ hundreds of Cardinal alums include LinkedIn, Salesforce, and Airbnb. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.

• Enrollment: 8,049 (undergraduate); 10,236 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,833
• Median SAT: 1540

Johns Hopkins University

• Baltimore, MD

Academic Highlights: With 53 majors as well as 51 minors, JHU excels in everything from its bread-and-butter medical-related majors to international relations and dance. Boasting an enviable 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and with 78% of course sections possessing an enrollment under 20, face time with professors is a reality. Many departments carry a high level of clout, including biomedical engineering, chemistry, English, and international studies. Biology, neuroscience, and computer science, which happen to be the three most popular majors, can also be found at the top of the national rankings.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 saw 94% of graduates successfully land at their next destination within six months of exiting the university; 66% of graduates entered the world of employment and a robust 19% went directly to graduate/professional school. The median starting salary across all majors was $80,000 for the Class of 2022. JHU itself is the most popular choice for graduate school. The next most frequently attended institutions included Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and MIT.

• Enrollment: 6,044
• Cost of Attendance: $86,065

University of Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia, PA

Academic Highlights : 90 distinct degrees are available across four schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Applied Science and Engineering, the College of Nursing, and the world-renowned Wharton School. The greatest number of students pursue degrees in business (19%), social sciences (14%), biology (11%), health sciences (9%), engineering (9%), and computer science (9%). The university boasts an exceptional 26% of courses with an enrollment under ten and 59% with an enrollment under twenty as well as multiple ways for undergrads to conduct research.

Professional Outcomes: 75% of Class of 2022 grads were employed within six months of graduating, and 18% were in graduate school. Finance attracted the highest percentage of grads (30%) followed by consulting (20%), technology (15%), and healthcare (10%). Employers hiring the greatest number of 2022 grads included JPMorgan, Boston Consulting Group, McKinsey, Bain & Company, Meta, and Goldman Sachs. The median starting salary for all graduates is $80,000. For those continuing their educational journeys, the most popular move is to remain at Penn, followed by Columbia and Harvard.

• Enrollment: 9,760 (undergraduate); 13,614 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,028
• Graduation Rate: 96%

Cornell University

Academic Highlights: A diverse array of academic programs includes 80 majors and 120 minors spread across the university’s seven schools/colleges. Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 55% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Most degrees conferred in 2022 were in computer science (17%), engineering (13%), business (13%), and biology (13%). The SC Johnson College of Business houses two undergraduate schools, both of which have phenomenal reputations.

Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 68% entered the workforce, 28% entered graduate school, 1% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 3% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. The top sectors attracting campus-wide graduateswere financial services (18%), technology (17%), consulting (15%), and education (10%). Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 15% were pursuing JDs, 5% MDs, and 22% PhDs.

• Enrollment: 15,735
• Cost of Attendance: $88,150
• Median ACT: 34

Amherst College

• Amherst, MA

Academic Highlights: A 7:1 student-to-faculty ratio allows for 66% of courses to have fewer than twenty students and 32% to have single-digit enrollments. By senior year, 98% of seniors report feeling close enough to a faculty member to ask for a letter of recommendation. Amherst possesses strong offerings across the board, most notably in economics, English, history, mathematics, and law The social sciences account for 22% of degrees conferred, while 14% are in mathematics, 11% in biology, and 7% in computer science

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 93% of the Class of 2022 had already found its way into the world of employment, graduate school, or a volunteer organization.  The largest employers of Amherst grads includes Google, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs. The schools where the highest number of Amherst grads can be found pursuing advanced degrees include MIT, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania. Fifty to sixty Amherst grads apply to medical school each year, and the acceptance rate hovers around 75-80%.

• Enrollment: 1,898
• Cost of Attendance: $84,840
• Retention Rate: 95%
• Graduation Rate: 92%

University of Chicago

• Chicago, IL

Academic Highlights: There are 53 majors at UChicago, but close to half of all degrees conferred are in four majors: economics, biology, mathematics, and political science, all of which have particularly sterling reputations. Economics alone is the selection of roughly one-fifth of the undergraduate population. Over 75% of undergrad sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students, and undergraduate research opportunities are ubiquitous as 80% of students end up working in a research capacity alongside a faculty member.

Professional Outcomes: On commencement day, 99% of the Class of 2023 were employed or continuing their education. Business and financial services (30%) and STEM (12%) were the two sectors that scooped up the most graduates, but public policy and consulting were also well-represented. The most popular employers of recent grads include Google, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Bank of America, Citi, and Accenture. For those heading to grad school, the top seven destinations are Yale, Columbia, Penn, MIT, Stanford, UCLA, and Johns Hopkins.

• Enrollment: 7,653 (undergraduate); 10,870 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,040
• Acceptance Rate: 5%

Duke University

Academic Highlights: The academic offerings at Duke include 53 majors, 52 minors, and 23 interdisciplinary certificates. Class sizes are on the small side—71% are nineteen or fewer, and almost one-quarter are less than ten. A stellar 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio helps keep classes so reasonable even while catering to five figures worth of graduate students. Computer Science is the most popular area of concentration (11%), followed by economics (10%), public policy (9%), biology (8%), and computer engineering (7%).

Professional Outcomes: At graduation, approximately 70% of Duke diploma-earners enter the world of work, 20% continue into graduate schools, and 2% start their own businesses. The industries that attract the largest percentage of Blue Devils are tech (21%), finance (15%), business (15%), healthcare (9%), and science/research (6%). Of the 20% headed into graduate school, a hefty 22% are attending medical school, 18% are in PhD programs, and 12% are entering law school. The med school acceptance rate is 85%, more than twice the national average.

• Enrollment: 6,640
• Cost of Attendance: $85,238
• SAT Range: 1490-1570
• ACT Range: 34-35
• Acceptance Rate: 6%
• Graduation Rate: 97%

Haverford College

• Haverford, PA

Academic Highlights: Haverford offers 31 majors, 32 minors, 12 concentrations, and eleven consortium programs—areas of study that can be pursued at partner campuses. The school’s 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and exclusive emphasis on undergraduate education lead to exceptionally intimate classes, 33% of which have fewer than 10 students, and 72% have fewer than 20. The most popular areas of study at Haverford include the social sciences (24%), biology (14%), psychology (11%), physical sciences (10%), computer science (9%), and mathematics (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Six months after leaving Haverford, 63% of the Class of 2022 had found employment, 19% had enrolled in graduate school, and 9% were still job hunting. Employers hiring multiple recent Haverford grads include Epic, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Boston Consulting Group, Goldman Sachs, the National Institutes of Health, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Of the 19% of 2022 grads who elected to continue their education, the most commonly entered fields of study were STEM (51%) and medicine/health (15%).

• Enrollment: 1,421
• Cost of Attendance: $87,180
• Median SAT: 1490
• Acceptance Rate: 14%
• Graduation Rate: 91%

Princeton University

• Princeton, NJ

Academic Highlights: 39 majors are available at Princeton. Just under three-quarters of class sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer students, and 31% have fewer than ten students. Princeton is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and students consistently rate professors as accessible and helpful. The Engineering Department is widely recognized as one of the country’s best, as is the School of Public and International Affairs.

Professional Highlights: Over 95% of a typical Tiger class finds their next destination within six months of graduating. Large numbers of recent grads flock to the fields of business and engineering, health/science, & tech. Companies presently employing hundreds of Tiger alumni include Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Meta. The average salary ranges from $40k (education, health care, or social services) to $100k (computer/mathematical positions). Between 15-20% of graduating Tigers head directly to graduate/professional school.

• Enrollment: 5,604 (undergraduate); 3,238 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $86,700

University of California, San Diego

• San Diego, CA

Academic Highlights: There are 140+ undergraduate majors offered at UCSD, and all students join one of eight undergraduate colleges meant to forge flourishing communities within the larger university. Biology has the highest representation of all majors (19%) followed by engineering (12%), the social sciences (11%), and computer science (9%). UCSD’s computer science and engineering programs have stellar reputations in the corporate and tech communities, and programs in biology, economics, and political science are among the best anywhere.

Professional Outcomes: Employers of recent graduates included the Walt Disney Company, Tesla, NBC Universal, PwC, Northrop Grumman, and EY. More than 1,000 current Google employees are UC San Diego alumni, and Qualcomm, Amazon, and Apple all employ 500+ each. The median early career salary is $65,000 across all majors, placing the university in the top 10 public universities in the country. UCSD also fares well in measures of its return-on-investment potential.

• Enrollment: 33,096 (undergraduate); 8,386 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $31,830 (in-state); $64,404 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 25%
• Retention Rate: 93%
• Graduation Rate: 88%

Columbia University

• New York, NY

Academic Highlights: Columbia offers 100+ unique areas of undergraduate study as well as a number of pre-professional and accelerated graduate programs.  Class sizes at Columbia are reasonably small and the student-to-faculty ratio is favorable; however, in 2022, it was revealed that the university had been submitting faulty data in this area. It is presently believed that 58% of undergraduate courses enroll 19 or fewer students. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (22%), computer science (15%), engineering (14%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Examining the most recent graduates from Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science, 73% had found employment within six months, and 20% had entered graduate school. The median starting salary for graduates of Columbia College/Columbia Engineering is above $80,000. Many graduates get hired by the likes of Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Google, Citi, McKinsey, and Microsoft.

• Enrollment: 8,832
• Cost of Attendance: $89,587

Bowdoin College

• Brunswick, ME

Academic Highlights: Class sizes are small—64% contain fewer than twenty students—and 21% have fewer than ten students. The student-faculty ratio is 9:1. More than half of Bowdoin undergrads report interacting with a professor outside of regular class time at least once per week. The greatest percentage of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (30%), biology (13%), area/ethnic/gender studies (8%), computer science (7%), and mathematics (7%). Economics and government and legal studies are two of the more popular majors within the social sciences.

Professional Outcomes: An examination of three recent years’ worth of outcomes data reveals that one year after graduation, between 73 and 77% of recent grads have found full-time employment, and 15% have gone directly into graduate school. Of those entering graduate school, 48% were enrolled in master’s programs, 23% in PhD programs, 13% in law school, and 8% in med school. The top twenty graduate schools attended, by volume, in the last five years make an exclusive list including six Ivies along with Duke, MIT, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 1,915
• Cost of Attendance: $82,600
• Median SAT: 1510

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Chapel Hill, NC

Academic Highlights: Undergraduates can choose from 74 bachelor’s degree programs in a number of schools and colleges, the largest of which is the College of Arts & Sciences. 44% of classes have a student enrollment under 20. The social sciences (15%), biology (12%), media/journalism (9%), computer science (8%), and business (6%) are the areas in which the most degrees are conferred. The Kenan-Flager Business School is internationally renowned and requires separate admission. Other strong programs include those in chemistry, journalism, psychology, and political science.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after leaving Chapel Hill, 97% of 2022 grads had entered employment, military service, or graduate school. Among the for-profit companies that hire the most graduates are Wells Fargo, IBM, Cisco, Deloitte, EY, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, McKinsey & Company, and Goldman Sachs. In the nonprofit sector, a large number of alumni are employed by AmeriCorps, NIH, Teach for America, and the Peace Corps. The average starting salary is $70,619. 18% of 2022 grads enrolled directly in graduate/professional school.

• Enrollment: 20,210 (undergraduate); 11,739 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $27,036 (in-state); $60,040 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1450
• Median ACT: 32
• Acceptance Rate: 17%

University of California, Berkeley

• Berkeley, CA

Academic Highlights: More than 150 undergraduate majors and minors are available across six schools: the College of Letters and Science, the College of Chemistry, the College of Engineering, the College of Environmental Design, the College of Natural Resources, and the Haas School of Business. Many departments have top international reputations including computer science, engineering, chemistry, English, psychology, and economics. 22% of sections contain nine or fewer students, and over 55% of students assist faculty with a research project or complete a research methods course.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduating, 49% of Cal’s Class of 2022 had already secured employment, and 20% were headed to graduate school. Business is the most popular sector, attracting 62% of employed grads; next up are industrial (17%), education (8%), and nonprofit work (7%). The median starting salary was $86,459 across all majors. Thousands of alumni can be found in the offices of Google, Apple, and Meta, and 500+ Golden Bears are currently employed by Oracle, Amazon, and Microsoft. The school is the number one all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers.

• Enrollment: 32,831 (undergraduate); 12,914 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $48,574 (in-state); $82,774 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 11%

Yale University

• New Haven, CT

Academic Highlights: Yale offers 80 majors, most of which require a one- to two-semester senior capstone experience. Undergraduate research is a staple, and over 70% of classes—of which there are over 2,000 to choose from—have an enrollment of fewer than 20 students, making Yale a perfect environment for teaching and learning. Among the top departments are biology, economics, global affairs, engineering, history, and computer science. The social sciences (26%), biology (11%), mathematics (8%), and computer science (8%) are the most popular areas of concentration.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduating, 73% of the Yale Class of 2022 had entered the world of employment and 18% matriculated into graduate programs. Hundreds of Yale alums can be found at each of the world’s top companies including Google, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. The most common industries entered by the newly hired were finance (20%), research/education (16%), technology (14%), and consulting (12%). The mean starting salary for last year’s grads was $81,769 ($120k for CS majors). Nearly one-fifth of students immediately pursue graduate school.

• Enrollment: 6,590 (undergraduate); 5,344 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,705

Brown University

• Providence, RI

Academic Highlights: Students must choose one of 80+ “concentration programs,” but there are no required courses. Class sizes tend to be small—68% have fewer than twenty students—and 35% are comprised of nine or fewer students. Biology, economics, computer science, mathematics, and engineering are among the most popular areas of concentration at Brown; however, it is hard to distinguish any one program, because Brown possesses outstanding offerings across so many disciplines.

Professional Outcomes: Soon after receiving their Brown diplomas, 69% of graduates enter the world of employment. Companies employing the greatest number of Brown alums include Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Apple, McKinsey & Company, and Bain & Company. The Class of 2022 saw 27% of graduates go directly into graduate/professional school. Right out of undergrad, Brown students boasted an exceptional 81% admission rate to med school and an 81% admission rate to law school.

• Enrollment: 7,639
• Cost of Attendance: $84,828
• Median SAT: 1530

Dartmouth College

• Hanover, NH

Academic Highlights: Dartmouth sports 60+ majors and a stunning breadth of course selections for an institution of its size. The learning environment at Dartmouth is extraordinarily intimate. Not only do 61% of course sections have under twenty students, but 18% have single-digit enrollments. The student-to-faculty ratio is an outstanding 7:1. Top programs offered by Big Green include biology, economics, neuroscience, and government. The social sciences are the most popular, accounting for 32% of degrees conferred, followed by computer science (10%), mathematics (9%), engineering (9%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: A great reputation along with a passionate alumni network that is 80,000 strong leads Dartmouth grads to successful transitions into graduate school and the world of work. Included in the top ten employers of Dartmouth grads are a number of investment banks including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bain & Company, Citibank, and Deutsche Bank. Right off the bat, 52% of graduates make more than $70,000 in salary. Those pursuing graduate degrees often flock to the likes of Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton.

• Enrollment: 4,458
• Cost of Attendance: $87,793

Pomona College

• Claremont, CA

Academic Highlights: There are 48 majors and minors to select from with the most popular being social sciences (23%), biology (13%), and computer science (12%). Majors in economics, international relations, chemistry, and mathematics receive especially high marks. More than 600 courses are on the menu at Pomona alone, but students can access any of the Claremont Consortium’s 2,700 courses. Pomona’s 8:1 student-to-teacher ratio leads to an average class size of only 15 students, and over 50% of the undergraduate population conduct research alongside a faculty member.

Professional Outcomes: 71% of the Class of 2022 were employed within six months of graduating. Overall, the largest number of alumni can be found at Google, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta. Recently, economics degree-earners have landed jobs at Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley, or Accenture. Majors in the hard sciences frequently landed at top research laboratories and hospitals. Of the 21% of 2022 grads who were accepted directly into graduate school, the most frequently attended institutions included the University of Cambridge, Duke, Harvard, Caltech, UChicago, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 1,761
• Cost of Attendance: $88,296

Carleton College

• Northfield, MN

Academic Highlights: Students work closely with their professors, and the college is routinely rated atop lists of best undergraduate teaching institutions. Small classes are the norm with the average being only sixteen students. It offers 33 majors, the most popular of which are within the disciplines of the social sciences (19%), the physical sciences (14%), biology (11%), computer science (11%), mathematics (10%), and psychology (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Target, Epic Systems, Google, Wells Fargo, and Amazon all employ large numbers of graduates. Carleton is a breeding ground for future scholars as a ridiculously high number of graduates go on to earn PhDs. In fact, by percentage, Carleton is one of the top five producers in the country of future PhDs. They produce an incredible number of doctoral degree holders in the areas of economics, math, political science, sociology, chemistry, physics, biology, and history.

• Enrollment: 2,034
• Cost of Attendance: $82,167

Davidson College

• Davidson, NC

Academic Highlights: With its small size, the impressive part of the college is the exceptional quality of its offerings, not the breadth of them, as only 37 majors are available. The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, which allows the college to ensure that 62% have fewer than twenty students and 24% have enrollments you can count on two hands. Overall, the average number of students per class is only 18. Top programs at Davidson include psychology, political science, chemistry, and English; biology is also quite popular, accounting for 12% of degrees conferred in 2022.

Professional Outcomes: Looking at the outcomes data for 2022 grads, 70% landed jobs within six months of graduation, 26% were enrolled in a graduate program, and 3% were still seeking employment. Of those who attended grad school, the highest number were in healthcare-related programs (including MDs), law school, and laboratory sciences. Significant numbers of students pursue advanced degrees at other Southern gems including Vanderbilt, Emory, Duke, Wake Forest, and UNC.

• Enrollment: 1,927
• Cost of Attendance: $76,450
• Median SAT: 1430
• Retention Rate: 94%

Northwestern University

• Evanston, IL

Academic Highlights : Northwestern is home to six undergraduate schools, including Medill, which is widely regarded as one of the country’s best journalism schools. The McCormick School of Engineering also achieves top rankings, along with programs in economics, social policy, and theatre. The social sciences account for the greatest number of degrees conferred (19%), followed by communications/journalism (13%), and engineering (11%). 45% of classes have nine or fewer students enrolled; 78% have fewer than twenty enrollees. 57% of recent grads had the chance to conduct undergraduate research.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 69% of the Class of 2022 had found employment and 27% were in graduate school. The four most popular professional fields were consulting (18%), engineering (18%), business/finance (16%), and communications/marketing/media (13%). Employers included the BBC, NBC News, The Washington Post , NPR, Boeing, Google, IBM, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Northrop Grumman, and Goldman Sachs. Across all majors, the average starting salary was $73k. Of those headed straight to graduate school, engineering, medicine, and business were the three most popular areas of concentration.

• Enrollment: 8,659 (undergraduate); 14,073 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $91,290

Emory University

• Atlanta, GA

Academic Highlights: This midsize university offers a diverse array of majors (80+) and minors (60+), and 30% of Emory students pursue more than one area of study. Over half of Emory’s student body works directly with a faculty member on academic research and 58% of courses have class sizes of under twenty students. Ultimately, the greatest number of students go on to earn degrees in the social sciences (15%), biology (14%), business (14%), health professions (12%), and mathematics (9%).

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduation, 66% of 2022 grads were already employed, and 96% had arrived at their next destination. The top employers of recent Emory grads include Deloitte, Epic, ScribeAmerica, Meta, Morgan Stanley, and Cloudmed. Graduates of the Goizueta Business School found strong starting salaries with an average of $81k.  In the last few years, multiple Emory grads/alums received acceptance letters from the following top law schools like Columbia, Berkeley, and Georgetown. Med school acceptances included Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Vanderbilt.

• Enrollment: 7,101
• Cost of Attendance: $83,702
• Graduation Rate: 90%

Grinnell College

• Grinnell, IA

Academic Highlights: Grinnell offers 42 areas of study and over 500 courses each semester. Thanks to a 9:1 student/faculty ratio and no competition from graduate students, 64% of classes have fewer than twenty students, and roughly one-quarter of sections have single-digit student enrollments. A top producer of PhDs in both the sciences and the social sciences, Grinnell has strong offerings in biology, chemistry, physics, economics, and history. The largest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences, foreign languages, biology, and computer science.

Professional Outcomes: Upon graduation, 62% of Grinnell students head into the workforce, 26% to graduate school, 2% to postgraduate service, and 2% earned fellowships. Multiple recent grads accepted positions with JPMorgan, Epic, and Google. The mean salary of those employed was roughly $64,397. Close to 40% of those entering graduate school pursue PhDs or master’s degrees in the hard sciences, 8% head to law school, and 3% were bound for medical school; 88% of all applicants were accepted into their first or second choice program.

• Enrollment: 1,759
• Cost of Attendance: $82,890
• Median SAT: 1460

University of California, Santa Barbara

• Santa Barbara, CA

Academic Highlights: There are 90 undergraduate majors across three schools: the College of Letters and Science, the College of Engineering, and the College of Creative Studies. The social sciences are the most popular area of study, accounting for 27% of the total degrees conferred. Biology (10%), math (9%), and psychology (9%) are next in popularity. The school has highly regarded programs in communication, computer science, engineering, physics, environmental science, and the performing arts. More than half of sections contain fewer than 20 students, and 72% enroll 29 or fewer.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of earning their diplomas, 84% of grads had found employment. The most popular industries were science/research (16%), engineering/computer programming (14%), business (13%), finance/accounting (11%), and sales (10%). Top employers of recent grads include Google, EY, KPMG, Oracle, Amazon, IBM, and Adobe. Many alumni also can be found at Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce. Two years after graduating, UCSB alumni make an average salary of $55k; more than half make $100k by mid-career.

• Enrollment: 23,460 (undergraduate); 2,961 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $41,289 (in-state); $73,863 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 28%
• Retention Rate: 92%
• Graduation Rate: 86%

University of Notre Dame

• Notre Dame, IN

Academic Highlights: 75 majors are offered across six undergraduate colleges: the School of Architecture, the College of Arts and Letters, the Mendoza School of Business (one of the country’s best business schools), the College of Engineering, the Keough School of Global Affairs, and the College of Science. In 2022, the most degrees were conferred in business (20%), the social sciences (18%), engineering (12%), and biology (8%). A solid 60% of courses enroll fewer than 20 students, and 15% have single-digit numbers. 75% of Notre Dame undergrads study abroad.

Professional Outcomes: 69% of 2022 grads directly entered the world of employment, with the most common industries being financial services (21%), consulting (17%), technology (12%), and health services (9%). Massive numbers of alumni can be found at Deloitte, EY, PwC, IBM, Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and McKinsey & Co. The median early-career salary was $76,000. Of the 20% of grads who went directly into their graduate/professional studies, 18% were pursuing medical degrees and 9% were studying law.

• Enrollment: 8,971 (undergraduate); 4,134 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $86,125
• Acceptance Rate: 13%

Rice University

• Houston, TX

Academic Highlights : Rice offers more than 50 majors across six broad disciplines: engineering, architecture, music, social science, humanities, and natural science. Programs in biology, biochemistry, cognitive science, and music are incredibly strong, while the School of Architecture and the George R. Brown School of Engineering are among the highest-ranking schools in their disciplines. One-third of computer science majors are female, almost twice the national average. Class sizes are ideally small with 66% containing fewer than 20 students and a median class size of only fourteen.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 88% of Rice grads have found careers or a graduate school home. Companies that employ many recent grads include Deloitte, Capital One, JP Morgan Chase, Google, and Microsoft. Over one hundred alumni are also current employees of companies such as Shell, ExxonMobil, Chevron, Amazon, Accenture, and Meta. Across all majors, the average starting salary is $73k. One-third of graduates move directly into graduate or professional school, with Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT, Columbia, and Berkeley being the most popular destinations.

• Enrollment: 4,494 (undergraduate); 4,178 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $78,278
• Median SAT: 35

Washington University in St. Louis

• St. Louis, MO

Academic Highlights : WashU admits students into five schools, many of which offer nationally recognized programs: Arts & Sciences, the Olin School of Business, the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and the Art of Architecture programs housed within the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. The most commonly conferred degrees are in engineering (13%), social sciences (13%), business (13%), biology (11%), and psychology (10%). 66% of classes have fewer than 20 students, and over one-quarter have single-digit enrollments. 65% double major or pursue a minor.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 sent 52% of grads into the workforce and 28% into graduate and professional schools. Companies employing the highest number of WashU grads feature sought-after employers such as Amazon, Bain, Boeing, Deloitte, Google, IBM, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft. Of the employed members of the Class of 2022 who reported their starting salaries, 79% made more than $60k. The universities welcoming the largest number of Bears included the prestigious institutions of Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 8,132 (undergraduate); 8,880 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $83,760

University of Washington – Seattle

• Seattle, WA

Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across thirteen colleges/schools. Personal connections with professors abound as 55% of grads complete a faculty-mentored research project. The College of Engineering, which includes the College of Computer Science & Engineering, is one of the best in the nation; UW also boasts strong programs in everything from business to social work to environmental science. The most popular degrees are the social sciences (13%), biology (12%), computer science (11%), and business (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 73% of Class of 2022 grads were employed and 17% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2022 included Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and KPMG. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, just over half remain in state, mostly at UW itself. Large numbers of 2022 grads also headed to Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and USC.

• Enrollment: 36,872 (undergraduate); 16,211 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $34,554 (in-state); $63,906 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1420
• Acceptance Rate: 48%
• Graduation Rate: 84%

University of Virginia

• Charlottesville, VA

Academic Highlights: Undergrads can study within one of seven colleges/schools, which all offer many small classes; 15% boast single-digit enrollment and 48% contain 19 or fewer students. The McIntire School of Commerce and the School of Engineering and Applied Science have glowing reputations. Other notable strengths include computer science, economics, and political philosophy, policy, and law. The most popular degree areas are liberal arts/general studies (22%), the social sciences (14%), engineering (11%), business/marketing (8%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes:  Upon receiving their degree, 95% of the Class of 2022 immediately joined the workforce–with an average starting salary of $90k–or headed directly to graduate school. The most popular industries were internet & software, higher education, and management consulting. Capital One (85), Deloitte (46), Amazon (38), and Bain & Co. (26) scooped up the greatest number of 2022 grads. UVA itself was the most popular grad school destination followed by Columbia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Johns Hopkins.

• Enrollment: 17,496 (undergraduate); 8,653 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $39,494-49,874 (in-state); $78,214-90,378 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1470
• Acceptance Rate: 19%

University of Wisconsin – Madison

• Madison, WI

Academic Highlights: There are 230+ undergraduate majors offered across eight schools and colleges, including the top-ranked School of Business and College of Engineering as well as the College of Letters and Science, the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and the Schools of Nursing, Education, Pharmacy, and Human Ecology. Undergrads can expect a mix of large and small classes, with 44% of sections enrolling fewer than 20 students. Business (18%), biology (12%), the social sciences (11%), and engineering (10%) are most popular.

Professional Outcomes: In a recent year, 46% of job-seeking grads graduated with an offer.  Top employers included UW-Madison, Epic, Kohl’s, Oracle, Deloitte, and UW Health. Across all graduating years, companies employing 250+ alumni include Google, Target, Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, PwC, Accenture, and Meta. 28% of recent grads enrolled directly in graduate/professional school; the majority stayed at UW–Madison while others headed to Columbia, Northwestern, and Carnegie Mellon. The university is the top producer of Peace Corps volunteers.

• Enrollment: 37,230 (undergraduate); 12,656 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $28,916 (in-state); $58,912 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1440
• Median ACT: 30
• Acceptance Rate: 49%
• Graduation Rate: 89%

University of Michigan

• Ann Arbor, MI

Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges, and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) enrolls the majority of students. The Ross School of Business offers highly rated programs in entrepreneurship, management, accounting, and finance. The College of Engineering is also one of the best in the country. By degrees conferred, engineering (15%), computer science (14%), and the social sciences (11%) are most popular. A solid 56% of classes have fewer than 20 students.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school, with healthcare, education, law, banking, research, nonprofit work, and consulting being the most popular sectors. Within three months, 99% of Ross grads are employed with a median salary of $90k. Top employers include Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, EY, Morgan Stanley, PwC, Deloitte, and Amazon.  Within six months, 96% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $84k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta employ the greatest number of alumni.

• Enrollment: 32,695 (undergraduate); 18,530 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $35,450 (in-state); $76,294 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 18%

University of California, Davis

Academic Highlights: UC Davis offers 100+ undergraduate majors across four schools: the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the College of Biological Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the College of Letters and Science. 50% engage in some type of research/creative project outside the classroom. The areas of study with the largest number of degrees awarded were biology, the social sciences, psychology, and engineering. Programs in engineering, computer science, and animal science are nationally renowned.

Professional Outcomes: Many recent grads found homes at Silicon Valley or other California-based employers. Corporations employing 200 or more Aggies include Genentech, Google, Apple, Cisco, Meta, Oracle, Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, and LinkedIn. Ten years out of school, median earnings rise to $112k. Within one year of graduating, 39% of Aggies elect to continue their education; the most popular degrees pursued are master’s, MDs or other health doctorates, law, and MBA/MPA.

• Enrollment: 31,797 (undergraduate); 9,053 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $41,389 (in-state); $73,963 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 42%
• Graduation Rate: 87%

Tufts University

• Medford, MA

Academic Highlights: Three schools serve Tufts’ undergraduate population: the College of Arts & Sciences, the College of Engineering, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts. The three schools combined offer more than 90 majors and minors; approximately one-third of all students double major, and half declare a minor. 15% of all courses see fewer than ten students enrolled, and 60% have sub-twenty enrollments. The most popular majors include international relations, economics, computer science, political science, and biology—all of which receive very high marks.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after earning their diplomas, 97% of 2022 graduates were employed or attending graduate school. The most commonly entered fields were finance, consulting, real estate (23%); engineering and technology (22%); health, life sciences, environmental (21%); and education, advocacy, social services (11%). Prolific employers of Tufts alums include Booz Allen Hamilton, JPMorgan, MITRE, Google, Deloitte, Amazon, Raytheon, Morgan Stanley, and BlackRock. Of the 21% of 2022 grads who went directly to graduate school, 85% were accepted into their first-choice institution.

• Enrollment: 6,815 (undergraduate); 6,616 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $88,300
• Acceptance Rate: 10%

Macalester College

• St. Paul, MN

Academic Highlights: Students can choose from roughly 40 majors and over 800 courses that are offered each academic year . Being an undergraduate-only institution, Macalester students enjoy the full benefits of the school’s 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class size is only 17 students, and 14% of class sections have single-digit enrollments. Macalester possesses strong offerings across many different disciplines. Programs in economics, international studies, and mathematics are among the best anywhere.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 95% of the Macalester Class of 2022 had found employment, graduate school, or a fellowship. Employers of recent grads include ABC News, Google, Goldman Sachs, Dow Chemical Company, McKinsey & Company, the ACLU, the National Cancer Institute, and National Geographic . Across all sectors, the average starting salary for recent grads was above $62k. Sixty percent of Mac grads pursue an advanced degree within six years of earning their bachelor’s.

• Enrollment: 2,175
• Cost of Attendance: $79,890
• Retention Rate: 88%

Vanderbilt University

• Nashville, TN

Academic Highlights: Four of Vandy’s ten schools cater to undergrads: the College of Arts and Sciences, the Blair School of Music, the Peabody College of Education and Human Development, and the School of Engineering. In the 2022-23 school year, 87% of course sections contained 19 or fewer students. Of the 70 undergraduate majors, economics, politics and government, and neuroscience are the most popular. The School of Engineering has a strong national reputation as do offerings in biology, economics, education, and music.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 96% of the Class of 2021 were employed or in graduate school. The most commonly entered industry was finance followed by technology, consulting, education, and engineering. Alumni can be found in droves at Capital One, Goldman Sachs, Bain & Company, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, and Meta. Among 2022 alumni who directly pursued advanced degrees, the majority enrolled at Vanderbilt followed by Columbia, Harvard, Penn, NYU, and Northwestern.

• Enrollment: 7,151 (undergraduate); 6,559 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,590

University of Pittsburgh

• Pittsburgh, PA

Academic Highlights: Pitt admits freshmen to the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, the College of Business Administration, the Swanson School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing. Pitt’s engineering and business schools are top-rated and among the most commonly chosen fields of study. Premed offerings are also top-notch, with majors in the health professions (12%), biology (11%), psychology (9%), and computer science (9%) rounding out the list of most popular majors. Pitt has a strong 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio; 42% of sections have an enrollment of under twenty students.

Professional Outcomes: Within a few months of graduating, 94% of 2022 grads entered full-time employment or full-time graduate or professional school. Engineering, nursing, business, and information sciences majors had 73-86% employment rates while other majors tended to flock to graduate school in large numbers. Employers scooping up the highest number of grads in one recent year included the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (170), PNC (57), BNY Mellon (36), and Deloitte (19). Median starting salaries fluctuated between $37k-65k depending on major.

• Enrollment: 20,220 (undergraduate); 9,268 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $38,034-$43,254 (in-state); $56,400-$66,840 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1360
• Median ACT: 31
• Acceptance Rate: 50%

Reed College

• Portland, OR

Academic Highlights: Twenty-six academic departments collectively offer 38 majors, 13 of which are interdisciplinary. English, math, and physics receive particularly strong praise. The educational experience is highly personalized, and to ensure that the emphasis in the classroom remains on learning for learning’s sake, grades are issued but not shared with students until graduation. The areas in which the highest number of degrees are conferred are the social sciences (22%), biology (11%), the health professions (9%), and the physical sciences (7%).

Professional Outcomes: An examination of Reed’s alumni database reveals that the three most common occupational pathways are business (28%), education (25%), and self-employment (19%). Included among the most frequent current employers are Microsoft Corporation, Kaiser Permanente, Portland Public Schools, Intel Corporation, the US Department of State, National Institutes of Health, and Apple. An incredible amount of Reedies continue their education; Reed was the No. 6 producer of future PhD holders across all academic disciplines.

• Enrollment: 1,523 (undergraduate); 11 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $86,040
• Median SAT: 1410
• Acceptance Rate: 31%
• Retention Rate: 86%
• Graduation Rate: 80%

University of Rochester

• Rochester, NY

Academic Highlights: U of R’s 160 undergraduate programs offer a rigorous yet flexible educational experience at a small liberal arts college within a renowned research institution. 66% of sections enroll fewer than 20 students, and an impressive 77% of students are involved in undergraduate research. The Eastman School of Music is one of the best music conservatories in the United States, and the Hajim School of Engineering & Applied Sciences is a top 50 institution. Other strong majors include mathematics, economics, and political science.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after receiving their diplomas, 97% of Class of 2022 grads had achieved positive outcomes with 57% employed and a notably high 38% already pursuing an advanced degree. Popular industries included internet and software (14%), healthcare (14%), and investment banking (6%). Top employers of 2022 grads included Google, Goldman Sachs, Epic Systems, and Deloitte. The average starting salary for the most recent cohort of grads was an impressive $82,325; that figure was over $105k for graduates of the Hajim School of Engineering.

• Enrollment: 6,767 (undergraduate); 5,430 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $85,858
• Acceptance Rate: 39%

Brandeis University

• Waltham, MA

Academic Highlights: Brandeis offers 43 majors, the most popular of which are in the social sciences (18%), biology (17%), business (10%), psychology (8%), public administration (8%), and computer science (7%). The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and 60% of courses contain nineteen or fewer students. Departments with a particularly strong national reputation include economics, international studies, and sociology as well as all of the traditional premed pathways including biology, and chemistry.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 98% of the Class of 2022 had found their way to employment (59%), graduate school (35%), or another full-time activity like travel or volunteer work (4%). Members of the Class of 2022 were hired by Red Hat, Deloitte, Nasdaq, NPR, and McKinsey & Company. The average starting salary for recent grads is $61k. A large contingent of grads elects to continue at Brandeis for graduate school. Many others go to BU, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, and Yale.

• Enrollment: 3,687
• Cost of Attendance: $86,242
• Retention Rate: 91%

Georgetown University

• Washington, D.C.

Academic Highlights: The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and 60% of classes enroll fewer than 20 students. While some classes are a bit larger, only 7% cross the 50-student threshold. Those desiring to join the world of politics or diplomacy are in the right place. The Government and International Affairs programs are among the best in the country. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (38%) followed by business (20%), interdisciplinary studies (8%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 75% of members of the Class of 2022 entered the workforce, 19% went directly into a graduate or professional program of study, and 3% were still seeking employment. The Class of 2022 sent massive numbers of graduates to a number of major corporations including JPMorgan Chase (22), Citi (21), BOA (18), Morgan Stanley (16), and EY (10). Those attending grad school stay at Georgetown or flock to other elite schools like Columbia and Harvard.

• Enrollment: 7,900
• Cost of Attendance: $85,000
• Acceptance Rate: 12%

College of William & Mary

• Williamsburg, VA

Academic Highlights: Forty undergraduate programs are available and William & Mary has a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio. Class sizes are rarely tiny seminars, but 44% do enroll fewer than twenty students, and only 9% contain more than fifty. Among the college’s most notable academic programs are (1) government and (2) international relations, both of which serve as pipelines to Washington, DC, employers. The Mason School of Business is highly regarded in the corporate world. The social sciences (20%) and biology (11%) are also popular.

Professional Outcomes: 52% of the most cohort joined the workforce, and 36% entered graduate school within six months of graduation. Over 500 employers snatched up at least one member of the Tribe. Companies hiring at least four 2020 grads included Accenture, Booz Allen Hamilton, KPMG, and Deloitte. Many of those opting for immediate entry into graduate school stayed at their alma mater and the next most frequented universities included Columbia, Duke, Harvard, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago.

• Enrollment: 6,797
• Cost of Attendance: $39,595 (In-State); $63,967 (Out-of-State)
• Acceptance Rate: 33%

University of Southern California

Academic Highlights : There are 140 undergraduate majors and minors within the Dornsife College of Arts & Sciences alone, the university’s oldest and largest school. The Marshall School of Business, Viterbi School of Engineering, and programs in communication, the cinematic arts, and the performing arts are highly acclaimed. Popular areas of study are business (22%), social sciences (11%), visual and performing arts (11%), communications/journalism (9%), and engineering (8%). Most courses enroll 10-19 students, and USC does an excellent job facilitating undergraduate research opportunities.

Professional Outcomes: 96% of undergrads experience positive postgraduation outcomes within six months of earning their degree. The top five industries entered were finance, consulting, advertising, software development, and engineering; the median salary across all majors is an astounding $79k. Presently, between 300 and 1,500 alumni are employed at each of Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, and Meta. Graduate/professional schools enrolling the greatest number of 2022 USC grads include NYU, Georgetown, Harvard, Stanford, Pepperdine, and UCLA.

• Enrollment: 20,699 (undergraduate); 28,246 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $90,921

Case Western Reserve University

• Cleveland, OH

Academic Highlights: Sporting a 9:1 faculty-to-student ratio, the university does a nice job keeping classes on the small side, with 50% of course sections capped at nineteen and only 13% of courses having fifty students or more. The Weatherhead School of Management and the Case School of Engineering have stellar reputations within the worlds of employment and academia. Engineering is the most commonly conferred undergraduate degree at 27% followed by biology (15%), computer science (10%), and health professions (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Fifty-six percent of 2022 CWRU graduates head into the world of professional employment upon receiving their diplomas; only 3% were still looking for work six months after leaving the university. More than half of the Class of 2022 enjoyed a starting salary of at least $65,000. The employers of the greatest number of graduates included Accenture, Microsoft, Deloitte, and Google. In 2022, four or more grads were accepted to continue their studies at the likes of NYU, Columbia University, Johns Hopkins University, WashU, and the University of Michigan.

• Enrollment: 6,017
• Cost of Attendance: $88,516
• Median SAT: 1480
• Acceptance Rate: 27%

University of California, Irvine

Academic Highlights: UCI offers eighty undergrad programs as well as many opportunities for personal connection; 56% of all sections enroll 19 or fewer students and over 60% of students conduct a research project. The most commonly conferred degrees are the social sciences (16%), business (12%), psychology (11%), and biology (9%). The Samueli School of Engineering has a solid reputation as does the Bren School, the only independent computer science school in the UC system. Programs in public health and biological sciences earn very high marks.

Professional Outcomes: Accounting, aerospace, internet and software, K-12 education, real estate, and retail are among the industries attracting the greatest number of Anteaters. Companies employing large numbers of recent grads include Boeing, the Walt Disney Company, Google, EY, and Microsoft. Hundreds of alumni are also found at Kaiser Permanente, Meta, Apple, Edwards Lifesciences, and Deloitte. The median salary is $69,000, with CS grads earning close to $120k right off the bat. UCI has a very strong reputation for premed.

• Enrollment: 28,661 (undergraduate); 7,275 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $40,202 (in-state); $72,776 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 26%

We hope you have found our list of the Best Colleges for Biology to be useful and informative as you continue your college search process. We also invite you to check out some of our other resources and tools including:

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Andrew Belasco

A licensed counselor and published researcher, Andrew's experience in the field of college admissions and transition spans two decades. He has previously served as a high school counselor, consultant and author for Kaplan Test Prep, and advisor to U.S. Congress, reporting on issues related to college admissions and financial aid.

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Cancer Biology Graduate Student Advocates in DC for Continued Cancer Research Support

A fourth-year doctoral student in the Cancer Biology Graduate Program at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute was selected for a second year by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to attend the organization’s Early Career Hill Day.

Natalie Snider knows first-hand the importance of advocating for continued funding of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). That’s why she traveled as part of a team to Washington, D.C., on Feb. 26 to represent WSU and the states of Michigan and Illinois as an advocate with AACR.

Snider’s participation is a prime example of WSU’s Prosperity Agenda, in which students are given opportunities to “learn by doing,” in turn cultivating the competencies that prepare students like Snider and other future graduates for successful careers. The Grosse Ile native is mentored by Associate Professor of Oncology Kristen Purrington, Ph.D., MPH, member of the Population Studies and Disparities Research Program  at Karmanos and associate professor of Oncology, whose research focuses on the impact of tumor biology and microenvironment on racial disparities in clinical outcomes for African Americans with cancer. Dr.

“It is an honor to represent Wayne State at the national level. I am extremely proud to highlight the scientific achievements of the university, many of which have been supported through NIH funding,” Snider said. “By showing Congress members how NIH funding directly supports WSU’s research advancements as well as comprehensive training for the next generation of scientists like me, we can garner their support for these critically important NIH budget increases.”

The annual event brings early-career scientists, including doctoral candidates, post-doctoral researchers, medical residents, medical fellows, and some early-stage assistant professors, to Washington to advocate for robust, sustained, and predictable funding for cancer research and biomedical science on behalf of early-career cancer researchers.

In meetings with the offices of U.S. Sens. Gary Peters, Debbie Stabenow and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell of Michigan, and U.S. Sens. Richard Durbin, Tammy Duckworth and U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois, Snider and the team advocated for the highest possible increase to the NIH base budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

“We asked for $51 billion for the NIH and $9.988 billion for the NCI. These amounts are calculated using the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index, which accounts for how much NIH expenditures need to increase each year to maintain NIH-funded research activity at the previous year’s level,” Snider said.

Participants stress the importance of investing in the future of cancer research and provide their perspectives as the investigators whose careers may be most impacted by the support of this essential funding. Participants receive support from AACR staff and are accompanied by one or more established investigators with significant advocacy experience.

“While this is not directly related to the content of my thesis work, NIH funding affects nearly all graduate students and their ability to conduct their thesis work by supporting their research and training. Support from the NIH is what helps us to complete our doctoral studies and become independent scientists,” Snider added.

Originally published at Today@Wayne .

Natalie Snider

Kristen Purrington, Ph.D., MPH

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Stanford Medicine first to try out novel tumor-targeting radiation therapy machine

New technology combines radiotherapy with real-time detection of cancer cells to target moving tumors or multiple metastases. Stanford Medicine is the first to research the technology in the clinic.

August 24, 2023 - By Krista Conger

Stanford Medicine physicians are testing a machine that targets radiation based on real-time feedback from cancer cells. RefleXion

Radiation therapy is a key component of care for many types of cancers. But some tumors can be more difficult than others to treat. Cancers in the lungs, for example, move with each breath, while tumors that have metastasized to many places in the body can require repeated radiation sessions.

Earlier this week, Stanford Medicine launched a new method of delivering radiation that uses signals from cancer-targeting molecules called tracers to target tumors in real time. It is the first time the new approach, known as biology-guided radiation therapy or SCINTIX TM , has been used in a clinic.

“This is the first radiation treatment machine in the world to combine radiotherapy with PET [positron emission tomography] technology,” said Michael Gensheimer , MD, clinical associate professor of radiation oncology. “It targets the cancer directly in areas where it is most active, tracking its movement and adjusting the radiation delivery several times a second.”

Although more real-world testing needs to be done, the goal is that the technology will eventually make radiation treatment faster and more precise, improving patient comfort, minimizing side effects and killing cancer cells more efficiently.

The machine, X1, was developed at Hayward, California-based RefleXion Medical in collaboration with clinicians and medical physicists at Stanford Medicine. In February, the Food and Drug Administration approved the platform for the treatment of certain tumors in the lungs and bone, based on a clinical trial at Stanford Medicine that simulated treatment delivery to patients.

“In addition to the clinical implementation and feedback leading to the first FDA-cleared treatment, the medical physics team worked tirelessly to validate the accurate delivery of the first treatment and ensure that the new technique was working as promised,” said professor of radiation oncology Billy Loo , MD, PhD. “It took a great team effort between physicians, the medical physics and dosimetry team led by Drs. Murat Surucu, Nataliya Kovalchuk and Bin Han, nurses, coordinators, and clinic staff to bring this milestone to fruition.”

A novel approach to radiation

“It is basically a new way to deliver radiation therapy,” said Lucas Vitzthum , MD, clinical assistant professor of radiation oncology. “We are excited to develop the technology and evaluate whether and how it might benefit our patients.”

Vitzthum is heading a clinical trial to assess the effect of the technology on clinical outcomes and quality-of-life measures for patients, as well as any possible adverse side effects.

The real-time feedback sets the technology apart from the way radiation is delivered now. Currently, cancers are mapped in the body using small molecules called PET tracers. These tracers are given to the patient intravenously. One part of the tracer is designed to bind to cancer cells; the other emits a signal that can be detected outside the body. A PET machine detects where in the body the signals, and therefore the cancer cells, are located. PET scans are then used to plan which areas of the body to irradiate.

“Standard radiation therapy treatment plans are generally tailored to static 3D representations of the tumor and normal anatomy taken days to weeks before treatment,” Vitzthum said, noting that anatomy can shift over time. “In contrast, the PET-guided radiation therapy machine is a closed-loop system — continuously detecting PET signals in real time during radiation treatment. This has the potential to help us precisely target the radiation and spare healthy cells.”

If the promise is realized, biology-guided radiation therapy may be a boon to patients with tough-to-treat cancers. Vitzthum notes that it will be important to compare this technology with existing treatment approaches using prospective randomized controlled trials.

“I once had a patient with early-stage lung cancer whose breathing was very irregular, making it difficult to effectively irradiate the tumor even with long treatment sessions,” Gensheimer recalled. “We ended up implanting metal markers into the tumor to allow us to safely deliver treatment. But this was an invasive approach that required IV sedation. Our hope is that this technology will help us better treat patients like this one less invasively.”

Biology-guided radiation therapy may also assist patients with advanced disease who currently have fewer treatment options.

“We plan to use this technology to explore the role of radiation in metastatic disease,” Vitzthum said. “It may eventually be possible to treat multiple tumors in the body simultaneously.”

About Stanford Medicine

Stanford Medicine is an integrated academic health system comprising the Stanford School of Medicine and adult and pediatric health care delivery systems. Together, they harness the full potential of biomedicine through collaborative research, education and clinical care for patients. For more information, please visit med.stanford.edu .

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Prostate cancer study: More health benefits from plant-based diet

Men with prostate cancer could significantly reduce the chances of the disease worsening by eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and olive oil, according to new research by UC San Francisco.

A study of more than 2,000 men with localized prostate cancer found that eating a primarily plant-based diet was associated with a 47% lower risk that their cancer would progress, compared with those who consumed the most animal products.

This amounted to eating just one or two more servings per day of healthy foods, particularly vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, while eating fewer animal products, like dairy and meat. The study followed the men, whose median age was 65 years old, over time to see how dietary factors affected the progression of their cancer.

Plant-based diets include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, vegetable oils, tea and coffee. The researchers measured consumption using a plant-based index and compared the men who scored in the highest 20% to those who scored in the lowest 20%.

"These results could guide people to make better, more healthful choices across their whole diet, rather than adding or removing select foods," said Vivian N. Liu, formerly lead clinical research coordinator at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Health and first author of the study, which appears in JAMA Network Open .

"Progressing to advanced disease is one of many pivotal concerns among patients with prostate cancer, their family, caregivers and physicians," she said. "This adds to numerous other health benefits associated with consuming a primarily plant-based diet, such as a reduction in diabetes, cardiovascular disease and overall mortality."

Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds

Plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, and evidence is accumulating that they can be beneficial to patients with prostate cancer, the most common cancer among men in the country after non-melanoma skin cancer.

Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory compounds that have been shown to protect against prostate cancer, and prior research has consistently demonstrated the importance of dietary factors to overall health and well-being.

"Making small changes in one's diet each day is beneficial," said senior author Stacey A. Kenfield, ScD, a UCSF professor of urology and the Helen Diller Family Chair in Population Science for Urologic Cancer. "Greater consumption of plant-based food after a prostate cancer diagnosis has also recently been associated with better quality of life, including sexual function, urinary function and vitality, so it's a win-win on both levels."

Coauthors: From UCSF, other authors are Erin L. Van Blarigan, ScD; Li Zhang, PhD; Rebecca E. Graff, ScD; Crystal S. Langlais, PhD; Janet E. Cowan, MA; Peter R. Carroll, MD, MPH; and June M. Chan, ScD.

• Men's Health
• Prostate Cancer
• Diseases and Conditions
• Agriculture and Food
• Food and Agriculture
• Prostate cancer
• Stomach cancer
• Mediterranean diet

Story Source:

Materials provided by University of California - San Francisco . Original written by Elizabeth Fernandez. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference :

• Vivian N. Liu, Erin L. Van Blarigan, Li Zhang, Rebecca E. Graff, Stacy Loeb, Crystal S. Langlais, Janet E. Cowan, Peter R. Carroll, June M. Chan, Stacey A. Kenfield. Plant-Based Diets and Disease Progression in Men With Prostate Cancer . JAMA Network Open , 2024; 7 (5): e249053 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.9053

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These diets are best for lowering risk of diseases and cancer: study.

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Turns out, vegan and vegetarian diets are un-beet-able when it comes to lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer, new research has found .

Dr. Angelo Capodici, of the University of Bologna in Italy, and his colleagues reviewed 48 papers published between January 2000 and June 2023 that investigated the link between plant-based diets, cardiovascular health and cancer risk. They found “significant” health benefits in plant-based diets.

“Our umbrella review seems consistent with other primary evidence that links the consumption of red processed meats to an increased risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract,” Capodici and his team wrote in their findings, published Wednesday in PLOS One .

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans” in 2015 ,  noting that there is  “sufficient evidence from epidemiological studies that eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer.” IARC also declared red meat as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”

Nevertheless, Capodici warned that “caution should be paid” before making a large-scale recommendation for plant-based diets because of limitations to the studies and potential vitamin and mineral deficiencies associated with these eating plans.

The pros of eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes and beans have long been espoused.

Capodici and crew said lower blood pressure, better blood sugar management and a healthier body mass index are some outcomes of vegetarian and vegan diets.

They did point out that people who tend to follow these diets are “more prone to engage in healthy lifestyles,” such as regular exercise, avoidance of sugar-sweetened beverages and abstinence from alcohol and tobacco, which also reduces the risk of heart disease.

They also noted that pregnant women who adopted vegetarian diets did not lower their risk of developing gestational diabetes and hypertension compared to women who ate meat.

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And vegans risk developing anemia due to a lack of vitamin B12, an essential nutrient naturally found in animal products. Vegans are encouraged to eat grains fortified with vitamin B12 or take a daily supplement .

Capodici’s team advised that more research is needed into the effects of vegetarian and vegan diets — they say the studies they analyzed differed in dietary patterns, sample size and participant demographics, among other factors.

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