See the Top 10 Global Universities for Neuroscience and Behavior

See which schools are rated best for their research on the brain and behavior.

A degree in neuroscience can lead to careers in fields such as pharmacy, medicine and research. Learn more about the top 10 Best Global Universities for Neuroscience and Behavior, as ranked by U.S. News based on academic research performance in this subject area.

10. Yale University

Location: New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 11

Fact: Yale University‘s Wu Tsai Institute, established in 2021 after the university received a donation from philanthropist couple Joseph C. and Clara Wu Tsai, facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration on academic projects about human cognition. Yale undergrads, grad students and postdocs can get involved with institute research.

9. Washington University in St. Louis

Location: St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 32

Fact: The neuroscience department at Washington University in St. Louis has more than 30 faculty investigators and is expanding, according to the department website. In 2020, construction commenced on an 11-story neuroscience research facility that is scheduled to open in July 2023.

8. Columbia University

Location: New York, New York, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 7

Fact: Two faculty members in Columbia University‘s neuroscience department are recipients of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine and eight are members of the National Academy of Sciences, according to the university’s website. Several Columbia faculty members are co-authors of the popular textbook “Principles of Neural Science.”

7. University College London

Location: London, England, U.K.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 12

Fact: Undergraduate neuroscience students at University College London who achieve strong grades the first two years can transfer into the university’s master’s program. Students who choose this route study for four years, while those who solely take undergraduate classes are in school three years.

6. University of Pennsylvania

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 15

Fact: University of Pennsylvania‘s undergraduate neuroscience program teaches the neurological factors that influence human thoughts, feelings, motivations and actions. Independent research is encouraged, and some courses for the major occur within a neurolab, where students can test theories about the brain.

5. Johns Hopkins University

Location: Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 10

Fact: Scientific researchers who are members of the Kavli Neuroscience Discovery Institute at Johns Hopkins University aim to synthesize knowledge in neuroscience, computational data science and engineering to clarify how the brain functions and the way it is structured. The institute focuses on designing new tools for investigating the inner workings of the mind, conducting neurological experiments and analyzing test results.

4. Stanford University

Location: Stanford in Palo Alto, California, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 3

Fact: Among Stanford University‘s initiatives focused on neuroscience is the Stanford Program in Neuroscience and Society, a multidisciplinary program based in the university’s law school. The program’s mission is to examine how neuroscience influences society, recommend how technology created by neuroscientists should be used and determine if government regulation of such technology is necessary.

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 2

Fact: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers a two-year, nondegree postbaccalaureate Research Scholars Program affiliated with the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, McGovern Institute for Brain Research and Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. It’s designed to increase the number of underrepresented minorities, first-generation students, disabled individuals and military veterans in scientific and technical disciplines that involve brain study.

2. University of California–San Francisco

Location: San Francisco, California, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 16 (tie)

Fact: First-year doctoral students in the University of California–San Francisco‘s neuroscience program participate in research rotations in various laboratories to become familiar with potential labs where they might like to conduct research, according to the school’s website. UCSF professor David Julius was a co-recipient of the 2021 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for revelations about how and why people feel pain and what can be done to counteract it.

1. Harvard University

Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.

Best Global Universities overall rank: 1

Fact: Harvard University undergraduates can pursue a neuroscience concentration with tracks in neurobiology or computational neuro, where students learn to use math and computer science to evaluate brain signals. There is also an interdisciplinary track in mind, brain and behavior that allows students to study neuroscience and also learn about how scholars outside the field of neuroscience understand the mind.

Learn more about earning a degree abroad.

Anyone who plans to study at a school outside his or her home country should investigate the school’s language of instruction. Follow U.S. News Education on Facebook and Twitter for more education rankings and advice.

Here are the top 10 global universities for neuroscience and behavior:

1. Harvard University

2. University of California–San Francisco

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

4. Stanford University

5. Johns Hopkins University

6. University of Pennsylvania

7. University College London

8. Columbia University

9. Washington University in St. Louis

10. Yale University

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