Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has the best genetics and genomics Ph.D. program in the world, according to U.S. News & World Report in 2014. The program is run through the division of medical sciences at Harvard Medical School. The division brings together interdisciplinary faculty across biological science subsections, and students have access to more than 15 laboratories, hospitals and clinics on and near campus. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also in Cambridge, offers a Ph.D. program in microbiology. An MIT research team in 2013 developed a way to edit the genomes of living cells, increasing the likelihood of treating diseases by targeting problem genes.
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, opened a genome engineering center for its genetics department in 2012. The school offers master’s and Ph.D. degrees in biomedical engineering. Laboratory scientists seek to unlock the mysteries of disease and cell development through the study of DNA of yeast, algae, nematodes, fruit flies, zebra fish and human beings. The University of Chicago offers an interdisciplinary Ph.D. through its Committee on Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology. The program brings together 78 biologists from more than a dozen departments for collaborative research and instruction. The program provides a background in modern genetic analysis coupled with training to address key biological questions in complex systems.
Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, offers a Ph.D. program in genetics and genomics. For decades, Duke has trained scientists in basic genetics, population genetics and human genetics. Research is focused on the genetics of cardiovascular disease in humans and mice. The school has research centers for microbial pathogenesis, virology, RNA biology and microbial systems. The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas offers elite Ph.D. programs in molecular genetics, and in genetics and development. In 2014, two Nobel Laureates were on the molecular genetics faculty for their studies on regulating cholesterol metabolism. The department is a world authority on lipid research.
Stanford University Medical School’s genetics program ranks second only to Harvard, according to U.S. News & World Report in 2014. The program in Stanford, California, emphasizes a broad approach to genetic study based on molecules, organisms, populations, and genomes. Students in the Ph.D. program undergo laboratory rotations, research, seminars, interactive coursework and an annual three-day retreat. Behind Stanford, according to U.S. News, is the Genetics, Genomics and Development program at the University of California in Berkeley. Cal-Berkeley’s researchers are tackling aging and aging-related diseases, molecular genetics, and developmental and evolutionary genetics. As of 2014, the genetics faculty consists of more than 20 professors.