The Best College Science and Tech Programs
Gizmodo’s inaugural Degrees of the Future introduced the 25 fields that will shape society in the decades to come, along with the best U.S. universities at which to pursue degrees in those fields. We worked with research agency Statista to survey university employees, industry leaders, students, and alumni to narrow down the top schools. (Read more about the methodology here.)
View the 2022 Honorees
Here, we’ve highlighted the top three schools for each degree, based on the analysis. Read on for the best programs in artificial intelligence, UX design, astrophysics, biomedical engineering, environmental science, and more.
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Epidemiology
Johns Hopkins campus in 2020.
Epidemiology
The study of diseases and their spread will remain a crucial discipline well after the covid-19 pandemic is behind us. A career in epidemiology typically requires a master’s in public health or a doctorate in a related medical field. Our No. 1 school, Johns Hopkins University, established its epidemiology department in 1919 and the first professorship of epidemiology in 1930. The department has eight research tracks and research opportunities in over a dozen countries.
These are the the three best universities to pursue a degree in epidemiology:
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
View the full list for Epidemiology.
Genetics
A view of Stanford Memorial Church on Stanford’s campus.
Genetics
The field of genomics has allowed us to better understand human evolution and human health. This year, the full human genome was finally sequenced, capping off the work of the Human Genome Project that ran from 1990 to 2003. Researchers at the No. 1 school on our list, Stanford University, earned a Guinness World Record earlier this year for the fastest-yet sequencing technique, fully sequencing a genome in just over five hours.
The top three schools in genetics and genomics are:
3. University of California, Davis
View the full list for Genetics.
Immunology & Virology
Immunology & Virology
Immunology and virology tackle the question of how our body responds to pathogens new and old. By studying viruses in conjunction with our bodies’ defense systems, virologists and immunologists can help protect humans from future pathogens. Universities split and combine studies in immunology and virology in different ways, but the two fields are deeply interconnected. At our No. 1 school, the University of California, Los Angeles, immunology and virology are housed under the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics. The university has an affiliated hospital that has been a leader in immunology since the 1960s.
These are the top three institutions for pursuing a degree in immunology and virology:
1. University of California, Los Angeles
3. Washington University in St. Louis
View the full list for Immunology & Virology.
Molecular & Cellular Biology
Molecular & Cellular Biology
Molecular and cellular biologists scrutinize the smallest components of living organisms to understand life processes. From DNA replication to cell division, our physiology, growth, and health are dictated on the microscopic level. Princeton’s Molecular Biology department has 39 faculty research labs and 20 associated faculty labs, and its faculty have received awards like the Nobel Prize and MacArthur Genius grants.
Our top three schools for degrees in molecular and cellular biology are:
View the full list for Molecular & Cellular Biology.
Neuroscience
Royce Hall at UCLA.
Neuroscience
Brains studying brains—despite our own intelligence and advances in technology, there’s still so much we don’t understand about our most human organ. Neuroscience investigates the brain in an effort to better understand emotion, decision-making, mental health, and how we move about and interact with the world. The No. 1 school on our list, the University of California, Los Angeles, has over 200 faculty members studying the brain, from its ordinary functions to neurological diseases. These faculty are spread across five schools at the university, which prides itself on the interdisciplinary nature of its neuroscience program.
The top schools for neuroscience are:
1. University of California, Los Angeles
View the full list for Neuroscience.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence is already a crucial technology across a number of fields. Its applications are as diverse as problem-solving itself—and like other computer science disciplines, comes with serious ethical considerations. The No. 1 school on our list, Stanford University, has hosted a lab for artificial intelligence research since 1962, decades before the field became a household name. The university also has an Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, founded in 2019, with the goal of guiding AI into the future, as well as a Center for AI Safety.
The top three schools for studying AI are:
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. University of California, Berkeley
View the full list for Artificial Intelligence.
Computer Graphics
MIT’s campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Computer Graphics
The field of computer graphics increasingly shapes how we see the world, as people spend more and more of their days using screens. The top school on our list, MIT, has a Computer Graphics Group whose work influences animation, digital manufacturing, and scientific computing. A recent creative project from the group created cameras that take photos that appear to move (no, not movies).
The top three schools for a degree in computer graphics are:
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. University of Southern California
View the full list for Computer Graphics.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity
From data leaks to ransomware attacks, we’re reminded almost daily of the need for stronger cybersecurity for governments, hospitals, financial institutions, and more. The No. 1 school on our list, Stanford University, has a cybersecurity program that is heavily interdisciplinary, mirroring the field at large. The school’s Cyber Policy Center is a collaboration between its law school and its Spogli Institute for International Studies, and it has a student group for advanced cybersecurity studies.
Our top three schools for studying cybersecurity:
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Georgia Institute of Technology
View the full list for Cybersecurity.
Data Science
The Ray and Maria Stata Center at MIT.
Data Science
As long as humans are dealing with big data, computer modeling, and artificial intelligence, data science will be a vital part of the future. The No. 1 school on our list, MIT, opened its Statistics and Data Science Center in 2015 to serve as the hub for data science research at the school. Besides its minor and “micromaster’s” in Statistics and Data Science, MIT offers an interdisciplinary PhD in statistics that can be paired with eight other fields, from mechanical engineering to cognitive science.
These the top three schools for data science:
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
View the full list for Data Science.
Game Design
USC campus in Los Angeles.
Game Design
Games represent many things; entertainment, art, education, and a platform for developing problem-solving skills and building interpersonal connections. The No. 1 school on our list for studying game design is the University of Southern California. USC’s program in Game Design is a collaboration between the engineering school and its School of Cinematic Arts. The degrees on offer provide the opportunity to learn how games are created from the ground up. In 2021, the university conferred 24 bachelor’s degrees and 13 master’s degrees in game design, according to College Navigator.
The top three schools for earning a game design degree are:
1. University of Southern California
3. Rochester Institute of Technology
View the full list for Game Design.
UX Design
A view of Stanford University campus through the trees.
UX Design
Good user experience design is invisible. It enables a person to intuitively navigate interfaces, which can mean something as simple as easily ordering a pizza from your phone to something as consequential as being able to understand and properly cast a ballot. The No. 1 school for UX design, Stanford University, offers the Stanford User Experience Community with resources for those seeking to better understand the field.
Our honorees in UX design are:
2. University of California, Berkeley
3. University of Washington, Seattle
View the full list for UX Design.
Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering
MIT’s Maclauriin building in Cambridge.
Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering
With spacecraft set to visit distant worlds and NASA’s planning to land humans on the Moon this decade, aerospace engineering is experiencing something of a renaissance. The No. 1 school on our list, MIT, can boast that its first aeronautics club was founded in 1909, six years after the Wright brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk. Today, the university’s Aero/Astro program has over 30 research labs, and the school has produced more astronauts than any other.
These are the top three universities for degrees in aerospace or aeronautical engineering:
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. University of Maryland, College Park
View the full list for Aerospace & Astronautics.
Astronomy & Astrophysics
An arch on Princeton campus.
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Humans have studied the cosmos for millennia, but modern technology has supercharged that research, allowing us to understand the origins of galaxes and the expansion of the universe. The No. 1 school on our list for astronomy and astrophysics is Princeton University, where astronomers and astrophysicists have been involved with many groundbreaking astrophysical investigations. Princeton researchers contributed to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the Webb Space Telescope, and the future Rubin Observatory’s Legacy Survey for Space and Time. The astrophysics department also has strong ties with the nearby Institute for Advanced Study and the Simons Foundation’s Center for Computational Astrophysics.
The top honorees in astronomy and astrophysics are:
2. California Institute of Technology
View the full list for Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Autonomy & Robotics
Carnegie Mellon University campus.
Autonomy & Robotics
Robots can execute some tasks better than humans, but human expertise and sensitivity is still needed to design and build these machines of the future. Computer scientists and AI experts will also play an important role in the future of automation, while ethicists will be needed to ensure these robots aren’t harmful. The top school on this list is Carnegie Mellon University. CMU’s Robotics Institute opened over 40 years ago and has ince been a leader in the research of robotics and autonomous systems. The institute’s labs address specific problems robots could solve, from caregiving to biomedical imaging. Carnegie Mellon’s robotics program also incorporates issues of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence in its programming.
These are the best three schools for degrees in autonomy and robotics:
3. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
View the full list for Autonomy & Robotics.
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering uses technology to improve human health. The field covers a wide range of applications, such as tissue engineering, wearable devices, and even using nanorobots to deploy medicine. Our top school for biomedical engineering is Johns Hopkins University, which hosts 10 institutes focused on various subdisciplines, from computational medicine to tissue engineering. More 40 startups have been founded by Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering faculty and students since 2010.
The honorees in biomedical engineering are:
3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
View the full list for Biomedical Engineering.
Energy Engineering
Energy Engineering
Energy engineers are crucial for managing the world’s energy demands and for developing new, cleaner energy sources. One of the biggest trends in energy engineering today is decarbonization—finding a way to source power without further compromising the planet’s ecosystems and climate. The No. 1 school on this list is Texas A&M University, College Station, where the Energy Institute puts the energy transition (the electrification and decarbonization of our energy sources) first. The over 300 faculty and researchers at the institute study energy sources along with the economics and policy of energy.
The top institutions for energy engineering are:
1. Texas A&M University, College Station
View the full list for Energy Engineering.
Environmental Engineering
Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium in 2004.
Environmental Engineering
Environmental engineers manage the interface of humankind and nature. From mitigating pollution and stormwater runoff to reducing erosion, their input is crucial in building more resilient and cleaner infrastructure. Our No. 1 school here is Georgia Institute of Technology, which has two environmental engineering research centers: the Brooke Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems and the Southeastern Center for Air Pollution & Epidemiology (yes, managing our environment has direct implications for human health). More generally, the school’s program is focused on the crumbling infrastructure in the U.S. and designing more resilient infrastructure going forward.
The top three places to earn a degree in environmental engineering are:
1. Georgia Institute of Technology
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. Purdue University, West Lafayette
View the full list for Environmental Engineering.
Health Informatics
Health Informatics
Health informatics strives to improve healthcare outcomes using information technology. In other words, it’s a field dedicated to fixing the health data ecosystem, thereby improving care for all patients. The top school here is the University of Michigan, whose master’s program in health informatics prioritizes understanding of health policy and information science. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the field, the health sciences are treated as information sciences. Recent graduates of the school have ended up as data scientists and researchers at institutions like the National Cancer Center.
The top three institutions for health informatics are:
View the full list for Health Informatics.
Health Research & Innovation
Health Research & Innovation
Health research and innovation is the catch-all R&D department for healthcare. While some new developments are made in real-time during care, some entities are trying to get ahead by developing new healthcare technologies now, while also putting resources toward studying human health over the course of a lifetime, along with environmental and social factors in health. The No. 1 school on this list is Harvard University. The Health Systems Innovation Lab is Harvard’s center for studying new ways to optimize healthcare. The lab conducts research in over 60 countries, and besides its research in global health systems, the lab produces policy recommendations based on those findings.
The top honorees in health research & innovation are:
3. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
View the full list for Health Research & Innovation.
Medical Microbiology & Bacteriology
Medical Microbiology & Bacteriology
Even the smallest lifeforms have implications (good and bad) on human health. Better understanding the microbial world can be a boon to our immune systems, and microbiologists play a vital role in learning how microbes interact with humankind.
The top three universities for medical microbiology and bacteriology are:
View the full list for Medical Microbiology & Bacteriology.
Diversity & Gender Studies
University of Washington campus.
Diversity & Gender Studies
Diversity studies broadly tackle social constructs and systemic issues in society, examining factors like race, ethnicity, sociality, class, and age, among others. Gender studies focus on the social structures that have historically defined gender and current ideas about gender. Taken together, the two disciplines investigate the breadth of factors that define and shape society, as well as how we treat one another. Our No. 1 school for this degree area is the University of Washington, Seattle. Founded in 1970, its program in Diversity & Gender Studies (then Women’s Studies) is one of the oldest in the country. Social justice is key in the department’s programming, as well as concepts like identity formation and decolonization. Its alumni have won prizes like the esteemed MacArthur Fellowship.
The top three schools for diversity and gender studies are:
1. University of Washington, Seattle
2. University of California, Santa Barbara
View the full list for Diversity & Gender Studies.
International Relations & International Security Studies
A quad at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
International Relations & International Security Studies
Diplomacy, statecraft, and the defense of nations. These are all encompassed by international relations and international security studies, fields studied by everyone from diplomats and lawyers to engineers and peacekeepers. Johns Hopkins’ master’s degree in international relations offers a specific focus in Security, Strategy, and Statecraft.
The top three honorees in these fields are:
View the full list for International Relations & International Security Studies.
Environmental Science & Climate Change
Environmental Science & Climate Change
No list concerning the future would be complete without mention of climate change and its impacts. Environmental science and climate change are crucial to study to build more resilient societies and mitigate the worst effects of global warming. The top institution on our list, Harvard University, has numerous initiatives around climate change, from engineering solutions to better understanding the crisis as it worsens. This year, it published a report on how it can better teach the climate crisis, and nearly every school at Harvard has programming that addresses the climate crisis.
The top three schools for environmental science and climate change are:
3. University of California, Berkeley
View the full list for Environmental Science & Climate Change.
Sustainability
Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sustainability
Creating a more sustainable society is part and parcel with combating climate change. Better managing the planet’s resources will be imperative for making this a hospitable place in the long run. The No. 1 school on our list, Harvard University, offers a sustainability program that focuses on science, policy, and action.
The top honorees in sustainability are:
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
View the full list for Sustainability.
Urban Planning
Eclectic buildings on MIT campus.
Urban Planning
Urban planners will define the future of human habitation, from quiet residential areas to the densest urban centers. Choices made today around infrastructure and housing can affect people’s lifestyles for decades to come.
The top schools in urban planning are:
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. University of California, Los Angeles
View the full list for Urban Planning.
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