US University Rankings by Department
The 2009 US News & World Report rankings provided an in-depth look into the top universities for various academic disciplines, showcasing the leading institutions that excel in specific areas of study. The rankings emphasized the strengths of these universities in fostering academic excellence, research opportunities, and professional development for students.
For Algebra/Number Theory, Princeton University and Harvard University were ranked as the top two institutions. Princeton has long been celebrated for its rich tradition in mathematics, producing influential research and nurturing leading mathematicians who have made significant contributions to the field. The university’s close-knit environment and collaborative approach facilitate innovative problem-solving and theoretical advancements. Harvard, a leader in numerous academic areas, also has a storied mathematics department that emphasizes both fundamental theory and applied mathematics, attracting students and faculty who push the boundaries of mathematical understanding.
In the field of Anthropology, the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan were ranked first and second, respectively. The University of Chicago has a strong reputation for producing groundbreaking anthropological research, supported by its access to diverse fieldwork opportunities and a robust interdisciplinary approach. The Department of Anthropology is distinguished for its comprehensive exploration of human societies and cultures, with a faculty known for pioneering studies in cultural and biological anthropology. The University of Michigan, with its interdisciplinary research centers and emphasis on both field and theoretical work, also stands out for fostering deep academic inquiry and training students to become leaders in the field of anthropology.
The Art History department at New York University (NYU) and Columbia University were recognized as the top two programs in the United States. NYU’s program is renowned for its strong connections to the art world, situated in a city that is a global hub for art and culture. The university's access to major art galleries, museums, and exhibitions provides students with a practical and enriching learning experience. Columbia University, on the other hand, is distinguished for its rigorous academic approach and esteemed faculty, who are often leading scholars in their specializations. The program places a strong emphasis on critical analysis and the historical context of art, ensuring that students receive a comprehensive education.
In the realm of Astrophysics, Caltech and Princeton were ranked as the top two institutions. Caltech is synonymous with groundbreaking research in space and physics, boasting facilities like the Palomar Observatory and access to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This integration allows students to work alongside leading scientists and participate in world-class research projects, contributing to significant discoveries in astrophysics. Princeton also stands out for its strong physics and astronomy departments, which emphasize both theoretical and observational research. The university’s collaborative environment, combined with its access to sophisticated research tools, makes it an excellent choice for aspiring astrophysicists.
The ranking for Biology featured Stanford University and MIT as the top two schools. Stanford has long been a leader in biological research, known for its innovative approach and cutting-edge facilities. With strong ties to the biotechnology industry in Silicon Valley, Stanford provides students with unique opportunities for research collaborations and career development. MIT, known for its rigorous scientific programs, is also highly regarded for its biology department. The institution supports a range of research initiatives, from molecular biology to genetics and neuroscience, making it a prime destination for students interested in advancing the frontiers of biological science.
For biological chemistry, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Stanford University were highly rated. UCSF is exclusively focused on health sciences and medical research, and it has established itself as a leader in biological and medical chemistry. Stanford’s program also stands out due to its pioneering research in biochemistry and a strong tradition of interdisciplinary collaboration, which allows students to engage in transformative studies and make impactful contributions to scientific progress.
These universities continue to demonstrate their dominance in these fields through research, high-quality education, and a commitment to academic excellence, solidifying their places as leaders on the global stage.
US News University Rankings by Department (2009):
Algebra/Number Theory
1 Princeton 2 Harvard 3 UCB 4 UMichigan 5 UChicago
Anthropology
1 UChicago 1 U Michigan 3 UC Berkeley 4 Harvard 5 U Arizona 6 UPenn 7 Stanford 8 Yale 9 UCLA 10 UC San Diego 11 U Florida 12 U Texas 13 NYU
Art History
1 NYU 2 Columbia 3 UC Berkeley 4 Harvard 5 Yale 6 Princeton 7 Johns Hopkins 8 Northwestern 9 UPenn 10 UChicago 11 U Michigan 12 CUNY 13 UCLA
Atomic Physics
1 U of Colorado Boulder 2 MIT 3 Harvard 4 Stanford 5 U of Maryland
Astrophysics
1 Caltech 2 Princeton 3 UC Berkeley 4 Harvard 5 UChicago 6 UC Santa Cruz 7 U Arizona 8 MIT 9 Cornell 10 U Texas 11 U Hawaii Manoa 12 U Colorado 13 U Illinois
Biology
1 Stanford 2 MIT 3 UC Berkeley 4 Caltech 4 Harvard 6 Johns Hopkins 7 Rockefeller University 7 Scripps Research Institute 7 UC San Francisco 7 Washington University in St Louis 7 Yale 12 Cornell 12 Duke 12 Princeton
Biological Chemistry
1 UC San Francisco 2 Stanford 3 MIT 4 UC Berkeley 5 Harvard 6 Yale 7 Caltech 8 Wisconsin 9 UC San Diego 10 Johns Hopkins 11 Columbia 12 U Colorado 13 Washington St. Louis
Chemistry
1 Caltech 1 MIT 1 Stanford 1 UC Berkeley 5 Harvard 5 Scripps Research Institute 7 U of Illinois Urbana Champaign 7 U of Wisconsin Madison 9 Cornell 9 Northwestern 11 Columbia 12 UCLA 12 UChicago 12 UT Austin 13 Yale
Classics
1 Harvard 2 UC Berkeley 3 U Michigan 4 Princeton 5 Yale 6 Brown 7 UChicago 8 U Texas 9 UCLA 10 Columbia 11 UNC 12 Cornell 13 UPenn
Computer Science
1 MIT 1 Stanford 1 UC Berkeley 4 CMU 5 U of Illinois Urbana Champaign 6 Cornell 6 Princeton 6 U of Washington 9 Georgia Tech 9 UT Austin 11 Caltech 11 U of Wisconsin Madison 13 UCLA 13 U of Maryland College Park 13 U Michigan
Cosmology
1 Caltech 2 Princeton 3 UChicago 4 UCB 5 Stanford
Earth Sciences
1 Caltech 2 MIT 2 Stanford 4 UCB 5 Columbia 5 UMichigan 7 Penn State 8 U of Arizona 9 Harvard 9 UT Austin 11 Princeton 11 UCLA 11 U of Washington 11 Yale 15 Cornell 15 UCSD 15 UChicago 15 U of Wisconsin Madison 19 Brown 19 UCSC 21 Johns Hopkins 21 UCD 21 UCSB 21 U of Minnesota Twin Cities 25 Rice 25 U of Colorado Boulder 25 Washington University St Louis
Economics
1 MIT 1 UChicago 3 Harvard 3 Princeton 3 Stanford 3 UC Berkeley 7 Yale 8 Northwestern 9 UPenn 10 UC San Diego
English
1 Harvard 1 UC Berkeley 1 Yale 4 Princeton 4 Stanford 6 Cornell 6 UChicago 8 Columbia 8 Johns Hopkins 10 UCLA 10 UPenn 12 Duke 12 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 12 UVA
French
1 Yale 2 Princeton 3 Duke 4 Columbia 5 UPenn 6 Stanford 7 UC Berkeley 8 Cornell 9 UMichigan 10 UC Irvine 11 U Wisconsin 12 NYU 13 UVA
Geography
1 Penn State 2 U Wisconsin 3 U Minnesota 4 UC Santa Barbara 5 Ohio State 6 Syracuse 7 UC Berkeley 8 UCLA 9 Clark University 10 U Washington 11 SUNY Buffalo 12 U Colorado 13 Rutgers
Geology
1 Caltech 2 MIT 2 Stanford 4 UC Berkeley 5 Columbia 5 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 7 Penn State 8 U of Arizona 9 Harvard 9 UT Austin 11 Princeton 11 UCLA 11 U of Washington 11 Yale
German
1 UC Berkeley 2 Princeton 3 Cornell 4 Harvard 5 Yale 6 Stanford 7 Washington St. Louis 8 UVA 9 Johns Hopkins 10 U Wisconsin 11 U Minnesota 12 U Washington 13 U Texas
History
1 Harvard 2 Stanford 3 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 4 Princeton 5 UC Berkeley 5 Yale 7 UC San Diego 8 Duke 8 UChicago 10 Columbia 10 MIT 10 UCLA 11 Cornell 11 U of Wisconsin Madison 13 UNC Chapel Hill 13 UPenn
Immunology
1 Harvard 2 Stanford 3 UC San Francisco 4 Yale 5 Johns Hopkins 5 Washington University St. Louis 7 Rockefeller University 7 UPenn 9 Duke 9 U of Texas Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas
Linguistics
1 MIT 2 Stanford 3 UCLA 4 U Massachusetts 5 UPenn 6 UChicago 7 UC Berkeley 8 Ohio State 9 Cornell 10 UC Santa Cruz 11 U Texas 12 USC 13 U Arizona
Mathematics
1 Princeton 2 Harvard 2 MIT 2 Stanford 2 UC Berkeley 6 UChicago 7 Caltech 7 Yale 9 Columbia 9 NYU 9 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 12 UCLA 13 Cornell
Molecular Biology
1 Harvard 2 MIT 3 Stanford 4 UCSF 5 UCB 6 Caltech 6 Rockefeller University 8 Johns Hopkins 8 Princeton 8 Yale
Music
1 Harvard 1 UChicago 3 UC Berkeley 4 CUNY 5 Yale 6 Princeton 7 UPenn 8 Rochester 9 U Michigan 10 U Illinois 11 Cornell 12 Columbia 13 Brandeis
Neuroscience
1 UC San Diego 2 Yale 3 Harvard 4 UC San Francisco 5 Stanford 6 Columbia 7 Johns Hopkins 8 Washington St. Louis 9 UC Berkeley 10 UPenn 11 Caltech 12 U Washington 13 Rockefeller Institute
Nuclear Physics
1 MIT 2 Michigan State 3 U of Washington 4 SUNY Stony Brook 5 Yale
Paleontology
1 UChicago 2 Harvard 3 UMichigan 3 Yale 5 UCB 6 U of Kansas 7 U of Cincinnati 8 U of Iowa 9 UT Austin 10 Ohio State
Philosophy
1 Princeton 2 U Pittsburgh 3 Harvard 4 UC Berkeley 5 UCLA 6 Stanford 7 U MIchigan 8 Cornell
9 MIT 10 U Arizona 11 UChicago 12 Rutgers 13 Brown
Plasma Physics
1 Princeton 2 MIT 2 U of Maryland 2 U of Wisconsin 5 UT Austin 6 UCLA 7 UCB 7 UCSD 9 U of Iowa 10 U of Colorado
Political Science
1 Harvard 2 Stanford 3 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 4 Princeton 5 UC Berkeley 5 Yale 7 UC San Diego 8 Duke 8 UChicago 10 Columbia 10 MIT 10 UCLA 13 Ohio State 13 UNC Chapel Hill 13 Rochester
Political Theory
1 Harvard 2 Princeton 3 UChicago 4 Yale 5 UCB
Psychology
1 Stanford 2 UC Berkeley 3 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 4 Yale 5 Harvard 5 Princeton 5 UCLA 5 U of Illinois Urbana Champaign 9 CMU 9 Harvard 9 U of Wisconsin Madison 12 MIT 12 Stanford 12 UT Austin 12 U of Minnesota Twin Cities
Physics
1 MIT 1 Stanford 3 Caltech 3 Harvard 3 Princeton 3 UC Berkeley 7 Cornell 8 UChicago 8 U of Illinois Urbana Champaign 10 UC Santa Barbara 11 Columbia 11 Yale 13 U of Maryland College Park 13 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 13 UPenn
Quantum Physics
1 MIT 2 Harvard 3 Caltech 4 Princeton 4 Stanford 4 U of Colorado
Religion
1 Chicago 2 Harvard 3 Princeton 4 Duke 5 Emory 6 UVA 7 Vanderbilt 8 Princeton 9 UC Santa Barbara 10 UPenn 11 Jewish Theological Seminary 12 Notre Dame 13 Hebrew Union
Sociology
1 UChicago 2 U Wisconsin 3 UC Berkeley 4 U Michigan 5 UCLA 6 UNC 7 Harvard 8 Stanford 9 Northwestern 10 U Washington 11 UPenn 12 IU 13 Princeton
Spanish
1 Columbia 2 Duke 3 Brown 4 Princeton 5 UVA 6 UPenn 7 U Wisconsin 8 Cornell 9 UC Berkeley 10 Harvard 11 U Kansas 12 U Texas 13 U Michigan
Statistics
1 Stanford 2 UC Berkeley 3 Cornell 4 UChicago 5 U Washington 6 Harvard 7 U Wisconsin 8 Purdue 9 UNC 10 UCLA 11 U Minnesota 12 Iowa State 13 Texas A&M
String Theory/Elementary Particles
1 Caltech 1 MIT 3 Harvard 4 Princeton 5 UCB 6 Stanford 7 UCSB 7 UChicago 9 Cornell 10 Columbia
Topology
1 UCB 2 Princeton 3 Harvard 4 UChicago 5 MIT
Source: US News 2009
Algebra/Number Theory
1 Princeton 2 Harvard 3 UCB 4 UMichigan 5 UChicago
Anthropology
1 UChicago 1 U Michigan 3 UC Berkeley 4 Harvard 5 U Arizona 6 UPenn 7 Stanford 8 Yale 9 UCLA 10 UC San Diego 11 U Florida 12 U Texas 13 NYU
Art History
1 NYU 2 Columbia 3 UC Berkeley 4 Harvard 5 Yale 6 Princeton 7 Johns Hopkins 8 Northwestern 9 UPenn 10 UChicago 11 U Michigan 12 CUNY 13 UCLA
Atomic Physics
1 U of Colorado Boulder 2 MIT 3 Harvard 4 Stanford 5 U of Maryland
Astrophysics
1 Caltech 2 Princeton 3 UC Berkeley 4 Harvard 5 UChicago 6 UC Santa Cruz 7 U Arizona 8 MIT 9 Cornell 10 U Texas 11 U Hawaii Manoa 12 U Colorado 13 U Illinois
Biology
1 Stanford 2 MIT 3 UC Berkeley 4 Caltech 4 Harvard 6 Johns Hopkins 7 Rockefeller University 7 Scripps Research Institute 7 UC San Francisco 7 Washington University in St Louis 7 Yale 12 Cornell 12 Duke 12 Princeton
Biological Chemistry
1 UC San Francisco 2 Stanford 3 MIT 4 UC Berkeley 5 Harvard 6 Yale 7 Caltech 8 Wisconsin 9 UC San Diego 10 Johns Hopkins 11 Columbia 12 U Colorado 13 Washington St. Louis
Chemistry
1 Caltech 1 MIT 1 Stanford 1 UC Berkeley 5 Harvard 5 Scripps Research Institute 7 U of Illinois Urbana Champaign 7 U of Wisconsin Madison 9 Cornell 9 Northwestern 11 Columbia 12 UCLA 12 UChicago 12 UT Austin 13 Yale
Classics
1 Harvard 2 UC Berkeley 3 U Michigan 4 Princeton 5 Yale 6 Brown 7 UChicago 8 U Texas 9 UCLA 10 Columbia 11 UNC 12 Cornell 13 UPenn
Computer Science
1 MIT 1 Stanford 1 UC Berkeley 4 CMU 5 U of Illinois Urbana Champaign 6 Cornell 6 Princeton 6 U of Washington 9 Georgia Tech 9 UT Austin 11 Caltech 11 U of Wisconsin Madison 13 UCLA 13 U of Maryland College Park 13 U Michigan
Cosmology
1 Caltech 2 Princeton 3 UChicago 4 UCB 5 Stanford
Earth Sciences
1 Caltech 2 MIT 2 Stanford 4 UCB 5 Columbia 5 UMichigan 7 Penn State 8 U of Arizona 9 Harvard 9 UT Austin 11 Princeton 11 UCLA 11 U of Washington 11 Yale 15 Cornell 15 UCSD 15 UChicago 15 U of Wisconsin Madison 19 Brown 19 UCSC 21 Johns Hopkins 21 UCD 21 UCSB 21 U of Minnesota Twin Cities 25 Rice 25 U of Colorado Boulder 25 Washington University St Louis
Economics
1 MIT 1 UChicago 3 Harvard 3 Princeton 3 Stanford 3 UC Berkeley 7 Yale 8 Northwestern 9 UPenn 10 UC San Diego
English
1 Harvard 1 UC Berkeley 1 Yale 4 Princeton 4 Stanford 6 Cornell 6 UChicago 8 Columbia 8 Johns Hopkins 10 UCLA 10 UPenn 12 Duke 12 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 12 UVA
French
1 Yale 2 Princeton 3 Duke 4 Columbia 5 UPenn 6 Stanford 7 UC Berkeley 8 Cornell 9 UMichigan 10 UC Irvine 11 U Wisconsin 12 NYU 13 UVA
Geography
1 Penn State 2 U Wisconsin 3 U Minnesota 4 UC Santa Barbara 5 Ohio State 6 Syracuse 7 UC Berkeley 8 UCLA 9 Clark University 10 U Washington 11 SUNY Buffalo 12 U Colorado 13 Rutgers
Geology
1 Caltech 2 MIT 2 Stanford 4 UC Berkeley 5 Columbia 5 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 7 Penn State 8 U of Arizona 9 Harvard 9 UT Austin 11 Princeton 11 UCLA 11 U of Washington 11 Yale
German
1 UC Berkeley 2 Princeton 3 Cornell 4 Harvard 5 Yale 6 Stanford 7 Washington St. Louis 8 UVA 9 Johns Hopkins 10 U Wisconsin 11 U Minnesota 12 U Washington 13 U Texas
History
1 Harvard 2 Stanford 3 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 4 Princeton 5 UC Berkeley 5 Yale 7 UC San Diego 8 Duke 8 UChicago 10 Columbia 10 MIT 10 UCLA 11 Cornell 11 U of Wisconsin Madison 13 UNC Chapel Hill 13 UPenn
Immunology
1 Harvard 2 Stanford 3 UC San Francisco 4 Yale 5 Johns Hopkins 5 Washington University St. Louis 7 Rockefeller University 7 UPenn 9 Duke 9 U of Texas Southwestern Medical Center - Dallas
Linguistics
1 MIT 2 Stanford 3 UCLA 4 U Massachusetts 5 UPenn 6 UChicago 7 UC Berkeley 8 Ohio State 9 Cornell 10 UC Santa Cruz 11 U Texas 12 USC 13 U Arizona
Mathematics
1 Princeton 2 Harvard 2 MIT 2 Stanford 2 UC Berkeley 6 UChicago 7 Caltech 7 Yale 9 Columbia 9 NYU 9 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 12 UCLA 13 Cornell
Molecular Biology
1 Harvard 2 MIT 3 Stanford 4 UCSF 5 UCB 6 Caltech 6 Rockefeller University 8 Johns Hopkins 8 Princeton 8 Yale
Music
1 Harvard 1 UChicago 3 UC Berkeley 4 CUNY 5 Yale 6 Princeton 7 UPenn 8 Rochester 9 U Michigan 10 U Illinois 11 Cornell 12 Columbia 13 Brandeis
Neuroscience
1 UC San Diego 2 Yale 3 Harvard 4 UC San Francisco 5 Stanford 6 Columbia 7 Johns Hopkins 8 Washington St. Louis 9 UC Berkeley 10 UPenn 11 Caltech 12 U Washington 13 Rockefeller Institute
Nuclear Physics
1 MIT 2 Michigan State 3 U of Washington 4 SUNY Stony Brook 5 Yale
Paleontology
1 UChicago 2 Harvard 3 UMichigan 3 Yale 5 UCB 6 U of Kansas 7 U of Cincinnati 8 U of Iowa 9 UT Austin 10 Ohio State
Philosophy
1 Princeton 2 U Pittsburgh 3 Harvard 4 UC Berkeley 5 UCLA 6 Stanford 7 U MIchigan 8 Cornell
9 MIT 10 U Arizona 11 UChicago 12 Rutgers 13 Brown
Plasma Physics
1 Princeton 2 MIT 2 U of Maryland 2 U of Wisconsin 5 UT Austin 6 UCLA 7 UCB 7 UCSD 9 U of Iowa 10 U of Colorado
Political Science
1 Harvard 2 Stanford 3 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 4 Princeton 5 UC Berkeley 5 Yale 7 UC San Diego 8 Duke 8 UChicago 10 Columbia 10 MIT 10 UCLA 13 Ohio State 13 UNC Chapel Hill 13 Rochester
Political Theory
1 Harvard 2 Princeton 3 UChicago 4 Yale 5 UCB
Psychology
1 Stanford 2 UC Berkeley 3 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 4 Yale 5 Harvard 5 Princeton 5 UCLA 5 U of Illinois Urbana Champaign 9 CMU 9 Harvard 9 U of Wisconsin Madison 12 MIT 12 Stanford 12 UT Austin 12 U of Minnesota Twin Cities
Physics
1 MIT 1 Stanford 3 Caltech 3 Harvard 3 Princeton 3 UC Berkeley 7 Cornell 8 UChicago 8 U of Illinois Urbana Champaign 10 UC Santa Barbara 11 Columbia 11 Yale 13 U of Maryland College Park 13 U of Michigan Ann Arbor 13 UPenn
Quantum Physics
1 MIT 2 Harvard 3 Caltech 4 Princeton 4 Stanford 4 U of Colorado
Religion
1 Chicago 2 Harvard 3 Princeton 4 Duke 5 Emory 6 UVA 7 Vanderbilt 8 Princeton 9 UC Santa Barbara 10 UPenn 11 Jewish Theological Seminary 12 Notre Dame 13 Hebrew Union
Sociology
1 UChicago 2 U Wisconsin 3 UC Berkeley 4 U Michigan 5 UCLA 6 UNC 7 Harvard 8 Stanford 9 Northwestern 10 U Washington 11 UPenn 12 IU 13 Princeton
Spanish
1 Columbia 2 Duke 3 Brown 4 Princeton 5 UVA 6 UPenn 7 U Wisconsin 8 Cornell 9 UC Berkeley 10 Harvard 11 U Kansas 12 U Texas 13 U Michigan
Statistics
1 Stanford 2 UC Berkeley 3 Cornell 4 UChicago 5 U Washington 6 Harvard 7 U Wisconsin 8 Purdue 9 UNC 10 UCLA 11 U Minnesota 12 Iowa State 13 Texas A&M
String Theory/Elementary Particles
1 Caltech 1 MIT 3 Harvard 4 Princeton 5 UCB 6 Stanford 7 UCSB 7 UChicago 9 Cornell 10 Columbia
Topology
1 UCB 2 Princeton 3 Harvard 4 UChicago 5 MIT
Source: US News 2009
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