best phd programs in biomedical science

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PhDs in Biomedical Sciences

The Coordinated Doctoral Programs in Biomedical Sciences are part of the medical school and the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. The programs are located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center campus. PhD students have access to more than 250 training faculty when selecting their research direction, ensuring that each student receives optimal training and research experience. We also provide a supportive environment which goes beyond academics. 

PhD Programs include:

• Biochemistry, Molecular Biophysics and Structural Biology
• Biomedical Informatics
• Cancer Biology
• Cell and Molecular Biology Umbrella
• Cellular and Molecular Physiology & Biophysics
• Genetics and Development
• Microbiology and Immunology
• Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Neurobiology and Behavior
• Nutritional and Metabolic Biology
• Pathobiology and Mechanisms of Disease
• Stem Cell Biology
• Systems Biology

Please visit the Applying to the PhDs in Biomedical Sciences application page to access the online application or to view application guidelines.

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2025 Best Biological & Biomedical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 97 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for biological & biomedical sciences students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,712 doctor's degrees in biological & biomedical sciences during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Doctor’s Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Biological & Biomedical Sciences School for Your Doctor's Degree

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to biological & biomedical sciences students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other biological & biomedical sciences students want to attend this school to pursue a doctor's degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Student Debt - How much debt biological & biomedical sciences students go into to obtain their doctor's degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized biological & biomedical sciences related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for biological & biomedical sciences students working on their doctor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The biological & biomedical sciences school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings , including this list of the Best Biological & Biomedical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Biological & Biomedical Sciences in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in biological & biomedical sciences. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

19 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Biological & Biomedical Sciences

Any student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in biological & biomedical sciences has to look into Cornell University. Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Ithaca. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from Cornell University

It is hard to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in biological & biomedical sciences. Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from Columbia University in the City of New York

Duke University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in biological & biomedical sciences. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from Duke University

Stanford University is a great option for students interested in a doctor's degree in biological & biomedical sciences. Stanford is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Stanford. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from Stanford University

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from University of California - Los Angeles

Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public university located in the city of New Brunswick. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Johns Hopkins is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Baltimore. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from Johns Hopkins University

Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from Northwestern University

Located in the large city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from University of Chicago

UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from University of California - San Diego

Located in the town of Storrs, UCONN is a public university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from University of Connecticut

Located in the large city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from New York University

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison

Located in the midsize city of New Haven, Yale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from Yale University

UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from University of California - Berkeley

Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from Boston University

Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from University of Pennsylvania

USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. More information about a doctorate in biological & biomedical sciences from University of Southern California

Rest of the Top Best Biological & Biomedical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools

Additional noteworthy schools.

Here are some additional great schools for Biological & Biomedical Sciences students that almost earned our Best Biological & Biomedical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Biological & Biomedical Sciences by Region

View the Best Biological & Biomedical Sciences Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Other Rankings

Best associate degrees in biological & biomedical sciences, best master's degrees in biological & biomedical sciences, best value in biological & biomedical sciences, best for non-traditional students in biological & biomedical sciences, best online in biological & biomedical sciences, most popular online in biological & biomedical sciences, best bachelor's degrees in biological & biomedical sciences, best overall in biological & biomedical sciences, highest paid grads in biological & biomedical sciences, best for veterans in biological & biomedical sciences, most popular in biological & biomedical sciences, most focused in biological & biomedical sciences.

View All Rankings >

Biological & Biomedical Sciences Majors to Study

Most popular 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 ).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Kelly White . More about our data sources and methodologies .

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Discover the Ph.D. Program at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Ph.d. program, ph.d. program overview.

At Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, you’ll discover a unique research training environment of academic inquiry and scientific discovery, combined with exceptional intellectual and technological resources designed to help you achieve your highest scientific career goals.

Through the Ph.D. program, you’ll acquire a broad expertise in biomedical science with the opportunity to go deeper into your primary area of research interest.

year average time to degree

Best graduate school rankings

a top school for biological sciences as ranked by U.S. News & World Report

Guaranteed 5-year internal fellowship

includes full tuition, stipend, and benefits

Whether you’re preparing for graduate school or applying now, the Mayo Clinic experience for biomedical science Ph.D. students is different.

Program highlights:

• Research training by leading investigators in fields ranging from molecules to populations, all in the context of exceptional health care.
• Embedded within a top academic medical center, you’ll have access to clinical data from more than 6 million patient histories.
• A Career Development Internship program where senior students experience networking opportunities in career settings different from those of their research mentors.
• A national destination for research training of students from backgrounds underrepresented in science. Mayo’s NIH-funded IMSD is more than two decades old, and Mayo invented the NIH PREP concept.
• Join about 250 students who have access to 300+ faculty members in small class sizes.
• 87% of graduates since 1989 are employed in academia or industry.
• Three campuses in Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona with diverse research opportunities.
• Every student is awarded a fellowship for five years that fully covers tuition.
• Ph.D. students receive a stipend and health benefits.

See yourself here

Hear from a student who found a collaborative environment, expert faculty support, and the unique opportunity to conduct research that directly impacts patient care.

"I know that my work is very impactful"

Choosing your area of specialization.

You'll choose from one of eight  biomedical science specialty tracks within our Ph.D. Program. Track choice is indicated during the application process and confirmed after admission. But you'll be able to do research and learn in any Mayo laboratory that interests you, even if it's not within your track.

Perspectives on our Ph.D. Program

"Collaboration is massive here"

Collaborative research and learning environment

The hallmark of research at Mayo Clinic is the highly collaborative interaction that occurs between investigators in basic science and clinical areas. While each investigator has a competitively funded independent lab, collaboration with graduate students and staff across the institution is common. As a Ph.D. student, you’re free to select any Mayo mentor, regardless of which track you choose.

"Allowed me to build my own team"

Teaching opportunities

Tutoring and teaching opportunities are available and optional for our Ph.D. students. If you’re interested in developing these skills, serving as a tutor or a teaching assistant can help cement the knowledge you gain from your coursework.

"A diverse academic community"

Unwavering commitment to student success.

Our funding model ensures that the graduate school pays the stipends and fees of all graduate students at the school.

Application window

Apply between Sept. 1 and Dec. 4 for the following academic year.

To get in touch with the Ph.D. Program, fill out the form on the Contact Us page .

Explore our comprehensive academic catalog, offering a detailed overview of all course offerings.

Virtual visits

Explore our virtual visit options or sign up for a video chat to get a personalized look at our program.