Top universities for life sciences & medicine subjects 2022

The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 reveal the top degree programmes in 51 different subjects across five broad subject areas.

Nine of these subjects fall within the life sciences & medicine subject area, covering a range of degrees connected to biology and medicine. Below is a look at the top-ranked universities for each of these nine subjects, as well as for the overall life sciences & medicine subject ranking which assesses institutions at a faculty level.

What are the top universities for life sciences & medicine?

At a faculty level, life sciences & medicine is a subject area dominated by universities from the US and the UK with only the Karolinska Institutet, a medical university in Stockholm, breaking up the duopoly. It's also the only specialist institution in the top 10.

What are the top universities for agriculture & forestry?

There's more international diversity - and more specialist institutions - in the agriculture & forestry top 10. Continental Europe is represented in the top 10 by three universities: Wageningen University & Research, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

What are the top universities for anatomy & physiology?

North America is clearly the place to study anatomy & physiology with the US and Canada dominating this year's top 10. However, the top two universities ahead of third-placed Stanford are both from the UK - the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

What are the top universities for biological sciences?

Although none are at the very top of the ranking, the presence of three Californian universities in the biological sciences top 10 suggests the west coast of the US has plenty of options for aspiring biologists. ETH Zurich is the only university in the top 10 to not be located in either the US or the UK.

Looking for an alternative degree to medicine which will still lead to a career in healthcare? Find out how biological sciences is an option.

What are the top universities for dentistry?

Few things are as important as good dental hygiene so it's probably reassuring that the top 10 universities for dentistry is so varied geographically. Students interested in becoming a dentist or studying dentistry can choose between specialist institutions like the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) or more historic universities like King's College London.

What are the top universities for medicine?

Medicine is arguably the most high-profile subject within this area of study, with medical degrees among some of the longest (and most expensive) that you can choose to study. However, the work can be extremely rewarding, something which has been amply demonstrated by global events in the last few years as healthcare professionals treated COVID-19 patients.

Harvard University tops this year's ranking - one of five US universities in the top 10.

What are the top universities for nursing?

An equally vital part of any healthcare structure, nurses work at the very frontline of patient care. This year's top 10 sees a few universities appear in this article for the first time, including two UK institutions: the University of Southampton and the University of Manchester.

What are the top universities for pharmacy & pharmacology?

Monash University may be the only Australian university in the top 10 for pharmacy & pharmacology but it holds the honour of also being the world's best university for the subject, ranking ahead of institutions from the US, UK and Canada.

The next highest Australian university of the subject is the University of Sydney which is ranked joint 14th, tied with the UK's University of Manchester.

What are the top universities for psychology?

If exploring the mysteries of the human mind sounds like an exciting way to spend a lifetime, a psychology degree might be the ideal first step in that journey. US universities dominate the top 10, with Harvard and Stanford taking first and second place respectively.

What are the top universities for veterinary science?

Given the highly specialised nature of a veterinary science education, it's no big surprise to see a few specialist institutions in the top 10 for this subject, with London's Royal Veterinary College taking the honour of being the top university in the world for veterinary science. Netherlands, Switzerland and Denmark are other European locations to feature in the top 10.

Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash