Microbiology is a branch of biology that studies microbes, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protozoa, algae, and viruses. Closely related fields include bacteriology, virology, mycology, protistology, parasitology, and immunology.
In this article, we will talk about several universities with top microbiology-related programs.
Top Microbiology Schools in the World
1. Harvard University
Harvard University is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was founded in 1636. Harvard Medical School’s Department of Microbiology supports undergraduate research opportunities and graduate training related to microbiology, but it does not list a standalone undergraduate microbiology degree. Students interested in microbiology-related doctoral study can pursue PhD training through Harvard life sciences programs such as Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Immunology, Virology, Chemical Biology, and related MD-PhD pathways.
Graduate training connected to Harvard Medical School’s Department of Microbiology includes programs such as the Harvard Graduate Program in Bacteriology and the Harvard Infectious Diseases Consortium. These options allow students to work across microbiology-related areas, including bacteriology, virology, immunology, infectious disease, and molecular biology.
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was incorporated in 1861. MIT’s Microbiology Graduate PhD Program is an MIT-wide, interdisciplinary program representing many areas of microbiological research.
The Microbiology Graduate PhD Program is designed to give students broad exposure to modern microbiology and depth in a chosen thesis area. Required coursework includes subjects such as Methods and Problems in Microbiology and Microbial Genetics and Evolution, along with research rotations and advanced electives.
3. University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a research university in Oxford, England, and is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. Oxford’s Medical Sciences Division lists Microbiology, Infection and Tropical Medicine as a graduate subject area, with research strengths ranging from fundamental microbiology to translational research and clinical trials.
Graduate study options related to microbiology include master’s programs such as the MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology and the MSc in Integrated Immunology, as well as doctoral routes such as the DPhil in Clinical Medicine and the Wellcome Trust DPhil in Infection, Immunology and Translational Medicine. Oxford researchers also played a central role in the development of penicillin, one of the most important milestones in antibiotic history.
4. University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego is a public university in San Diego, California. The School of Biological Sciences offers an undergraduate Microbiology major and a Biological Sciences PhD program with research areas that include microbiology, virology, immunology, cell biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, structural biology, and evolutionary biology.
The undergraduate Microbiology major covers topics from human health to biotechnology, synthetic biology, microbiomes, biofuels, and bioremediation. It gives students a foundation in biochemistry, genetics, molecular biology, and basic microbiology, then allows them to focus on general, medical, biotechnological, or environmental microbiology. At the graduate level, students pursue microbiology-related research through the Biological Sciences PhD program.
5. Cornell University
Cornell University is a private Ivy League and land-grant university in Ithaca, New York. The Department of Microbiology is part of Cornell’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and offers undergraduate and graduate study options related to microbiology.
At the undergraduate level, microbiology is offered as a concentration within the Biological Sciences major. At the graduate level, Cornell’s Graduate Field of Microbiology emphasizes prokaryote biology, including the fundamental properties of Bacteria and Archaea. During the first year, PhD students complete lab rotations before choosing a dissertation advisor, and they can tailor their program through minor areas of concentration.
6. University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a history dating back to 1740. Penn’s Department of Microbiology is part of the Perelman School of Medicine, and microbiology graduate students are trained through Penn Graduate Groups.
Microbiology-related PhD training at Penn can take place through graduate groups such as the Microbiology, Virology, and Parasitology track; the Immunology Graduate Group; and the Genomics and Computational Biology Graduate Group. Penn’s Biomedical Graduate Studies program includes seven graduate groups, including Cell and Molecular Biology, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Immunology, Genomics and Computational Biology, Neuroscience, and Pharmacology. Penn’s microbiology community also supports predoctoral and postdoctoral training through NIH-funded training grants in areas such as HIV pathogenesis, vaccination, and cure; virology; immunology; and parasitology.
We hope this article on the best microbiology schools in the world was helpful. If you’re looking to study abroad, make sure to check out the Available Programs for International Students.
