There are lots of great reasons to study immunology and a lot of great schools where you can learn it.
Let's see what immunology is, why you should study it, the best schools for it, and how to choose the right college for you.
What Is Immunology?
Immunology is the science dealing with the immune system. While we often talk about the immune system as a single entity, it's actually a complex network of multiple systems that work together to protect against infections and diseases, which is why it warrants its own field of study.
Immunology also covers things relating to the immune system like autoimmune disorders, allergies, and immunodeficiencies.
Those who study immunology are known as immunologists and they can work in a wide range of professions and industries where their knowledge is essential.
Their work can involve research to better understand the immune system or related diseases as well as working on treatments and technologies for them.
Why You Should Study Immunology
One of the best reasons to study immunology is because it's fascinating. By majoring in immunology, you'll learn a lot about the immune system, how it works, and how certain diseases work and are treated.
Immunology also provides students with options to cover a lot of different subjects. Immunology is multidisciplinary and can include biology, biochemistry, genetics, and microbiology. If you love science, you can explore a lot of different fields through a major in immunology.
Like many of the sciences, immunology is at the cutting edge of technology. Anybody with a passion for technology can learn about the latest approaches in the field through an immunology major, but it gets even more exciting once they start their careers.
A career in immunology is also a great way to get close to all this technology. Outside of the tech, you can also find immunology careers in clinical settings, research labs, academia, or affecting public health policy in government organizations.
The Best Colleges for Immunology
So now you know what immunology is and why you should study it, let's see which schools are the best for immunology majors.
There are lots of different ways to judge a school and a lot of things you should take into account, but for the purpose of these schools, we've just picked the ones that are highly rated for their immunology programs.
Different sources put the schools in slightly different orders, but we've put our top 10 into alphabetical order. To be fair, any of these schools would be a good choice for studying immunology and a lot of other majors, too.
Immunology isn't easy and getting into some of these schools isn't, either, so think carefully about your options before applying.
Harvard University
Harvard University is regularly ranked in the top 10 colleges for almost everything and often places first globally.
Basically, this Ivy League school is the first choice for any student wanting to study almost anything provided they have the right grades and profile. Immunology courses are offered by the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the School of Public Health.
There are immunology programs for all levels at Harvard University from the undergraduate concentration in immunology to Ph.D. And postdoctoral programs.
The school is also affiliated with several research institutions including the Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Broad Institute.
John Hopkins University
John Hopkins University is another excellent choice for immunology students. This college in Baltimore, Maryland is highly rated in a lot of different majors and is considered one of the top 10 universities in the world.
It's also highly ranked for immunology and the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health offers a human biology class, and on lots of study areas relating to immunology including molecular biology and immunology, biomedical sciences, vector-borne disease control, and virology.
The Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology also offers programs like the Master of Health Science, the Master of Science, or Ph.D. In Molecular Microbiology & Immunology.
With postgraduate qualifications common in the world of immunology, it's useful to know that there are excellent options for students once they graduate.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is another school that is always one of the best-ranked educational institutions in the world for many technical and scientific subjects and for immunology.
While there isn't an immunology major available for undergraduates at MIT, you can still extensively study immunology and other aspects of biology that you need to understand to study immunology like biological principles, genetics, molecular biology, and cellular biology.
Courses like Immunology and Pathophysiology and Biological Engineering of Immune Systems are particularly useful choices for students with an interest in immunology.
Once students graduate, there are far more options for specializing in immunology through postgraduate and doctoral study.
Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research university in New York City, New York and only offers graduate study.
While you can't study an undergraduate degree here or major in immunology, this school remains an excellent postgraduate option for many students.
Stanford University
Stanford University is the first school in our list on the other side of the country and this prestigious Californian school is famous for the quality of teaching it offers, its research, and its beautiful campus.
For immunology, Stanford University doesn't disappoint. Through the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, undergraduate students can learn about immunology through courses and seminars.
Courses cover study areas such as cellular and molecular immunology, climate crisis management, gut microbiota in health and disease, humans and viruses, and the vaccine revolution.
There are lots of interesting options for students with an interest in immunology at Stanford and as one of the best universities in the world and for immunology, you're unlikely to be disappointed.
University of California San Francisco
The University of California San Francisco (UCSF) is the first (but not the only) public university on our list.
The university was founded in the mid-19th century and is famous for health sciences, biomedical research, patient care, and education, obviously.
This is another school where immunology really becomes important and more accessible at a graduate level.
The UCSF Immunology Graduate Program is part of the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) program and the Program in Biological Sciences (PIBS). Biomedical Science students can follow the Immunology Track to specialize.
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is one of the top 100 schools in the world and one of the very best for immunology.
UPenn has a long history dating back to the 18th century and is one of the oldest universities in the country. It was famously established by Benjamin Franklin.
The school has a reputation for excellence in many areas of study, including immunology. This is another school where options for studying immunology specifically really start at the postgraduate level.
Graduate students interested in immunology have options to study immune mechanisms, immunopathology, statistics, molecular immunology, and vaccines and immune therapeutics, for example.
University of Washington Seattle
The University of Washington Seattle is the other public university on our list and part of the University of Washington public system.
Much like many of the other colleges that we've mentioned so far, this is one of the best in the world overall so it really doesn't matter what you study at the University of Washington Seattle because it's an excellent school.
The Department of Immunology is at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Ph.D. Program is highly recommended for those wanting to dedicate their careers to understanding immune responses from the cellular, molecular, and systems biology perspective.
Washington University (WUSTL)
Washington University in St. Louis, Wash U, or WUSTL is a private university in St. Louis, Missouri. The Immunology graduate program was started back in 1986 and covers immunobiology as well as electives for areas such as molecular microbiology & microbial pathogenesis, macromolecular interactions, systems cell and molecular biology, and nucleic acids & protein biosynthesis.
With most graduates of the program staying in academia and many others going into industry, this could be a great choice for aspiring immunologists looking for options once they graduate.
Yale University
Last but by no means least, we have Yale University, one of the world's most reputable universities.
The Department of Immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine offers an Immunobiology graduate program that covers areas including the biology of the immune system, advanced immunology, and the fundamentals of research.
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Choosing the Right College
While you'll get an excellent education at any of the schools that we've mentioned, choosing the right school depends on you as a person, your personality, and finding the kind of learning environment where you can thrive.
There are also financial considerations and the very best private universities also come at a cost and even though there are financing options, don't forget that you need to think about your financial future and your academic future.
While you'll be busy with your immunology studies, make sure that you pick a college where you can enjoy your other hobbies and passions, too. Extracurricular decisions are also important because if you're not enjoying your time outside of class, it'll be harder to focus and get the most out of time spent in class, especially if you want to become one of the world's most famous immunologists!
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