Best universities in the US for education degrees 2024

Explore the best universities in the US for education degrees, using data from the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024

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December 7 2023

Top 10 universities in the US for education degrees 2024

Scroll down for the full list of best universities in the US for education degrees

US education rank 2024	Education rank 2024	University	State
1	1	University of California, Berkeley	California
2	2	Stanford University	California
3	5	Harvard University	Massachusetts
4	8	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	Michigan
5	10	University of California, Los Angeles	California
6	13	Michigan State University	Michigan
7	17	University of Wisconsin-Madison	Wisconsin
8	18	University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
9	22	New York University	New York
10	24	University of Texas at Austin	Texas

To become a teacher in the US, you must be licensed by the state in which you want to teach, and most teacher-training courses begin at the postgraduate level. Aspiring teachers will often complete an undergraduate degree in any subject, then enrol in an accredited teacher programme.

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However, education can also be studied at many levels beyond teacher training. Education as an academic discipline brings together fields such as sociology, politics, history and psychology to investigate a broad range of education-related problems, from social mobility to international policy. Some universities offer undergraduate education courses as majors or minors.

Below are the best universities for education degrees in the US.

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5. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

The education and social transformation major at UCLA analyses issues in education through social justice. An education studies minor can also be taken at an undergraduate level, aiming to give students an understanding of the research issues in education and the politics behind American education policies.

There are also five academic master’s and doctoral degrees in education on offer at UCLA covering topics such as higher education and organisational change, human development and psychology, social research and methodology, social sciences and comparative education and urban schooling. All courses are offered at both the MA and PhD level, except urban schooling, which is limited to a PhD.

Postgraduate students can take professional education degrees, either a master’s of education (MEd) or a doctor of education (EdD), which range in duration from one to two years.

4. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor offers two bachelor’s degrees in education, covering elementary or secondary education. The elementary programme awards students with a bachelor’s degree in education. The secondary programme is three terms long, beginning in a student’s junior year, allowing them to graduate with both an undergraduate degree and a secondary teacher certification.

Postgraduate courses include a master’s in higher education, which looks at institutional research, public policy, and student access and success. The educational studies programme offers courses in design and technologies for learning among a range of other topics.

The doctor of philosophy programme focuses on education and psychology, educational studies, English and education, or higher education. Past graduates have gone on to work as education consultants, policymakers and research specialists.

3. Harvard University

Harvard University mainly offers education courses at a postgraduate level, but students can also choose classes relating to education as an undergraduate.

Students enrolled in a master’s programme choose one programme to develop a specific expertise. Programmes include education policy and analysis; education leadership, organisations and entrepreneurship; human development and education; and learning design, innovation and technology.

Harvard offers two main education doctoral degrees: the three-year practice-based doctor of education leadership programme, and the five-year doctor of philosophy in education programme, which focuses on research and its impacts.

Since 2018, Harvard undergraduate students have been able to take secondary classes in educational studies. The Faculty of Arts and Sciences offers foundational courses for students wishing to pursue this option, including education in the economy, the social responsibilities of universities, and education and culture.

What can you do with an education degree?

2. Stanford University

Stanford University offers several pathways to study education. The undergraduate minor in education provides students with an introduction to the subject through research, theory and practice. It is usually taken by those who wish to pursue a postgraduate degree in the field.

Undergraduates can also choose to take an honour’s programme to apply their chosen major to education. This option will include taking additional courses and producing a thesis relating to an educational issue.

Full-time master’s courses in education include the Stanford Teacher Education Program, as well as curriculum and teacher education, policy, organisation and leadership studies, learning, design and technology, international comparative education and education data science. Master’s courses range in length from nine to 18 months.

There are several doctoral education programmes on offer, in which all students undertake a research apprenticeship. Several programmes can be chosen, including elementary education, teacher education and sociology of education.

1. University of California, Berkeley

Similar to other US universities, the University of California, Berkeley does not offer an undergraduate education major, but students can opt for a minor in education. Full education courses are then offered from a postgraduate level through the Graduate School of Education.

The master’s degrees offered can be completed via two routes, either through 20 semester units and a master’s thesis, or through 24 semester units and a written exam.

There are two doctoral-level education degrees. The doctorate of philosophy programme is geared towards those interested in research, whereas the doctorate of education degree is better suited to those seeking an advanced professional career in education. The latter focuses on educational leadership, human development and programme evaluation and assessment, and usually includes two years of field-based coursework.

Best universities in the US for education degrees 2024

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 results

US education rank 2024	Education rank 2024	University	State
1	1	University of California, Berkeley	California
2	2	Stanford University	California
3	5	Harvard University	Massachusetts
4	8	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	Michigan
5	10	University of California, Los Angeles	California
6	13	Michigan State University	Michigan
7	17	University of Wisconsin-Madison	Wisconsin
8	18	University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania
9	22	New York University	New York
10	24	University of Texas at Austin	Texas
11	26	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign	Illinois
12	27	Vanderbilt University	Tennessee
13	29	University of Washington	Washington
14	30	Johns Hopkins University	Maryland
15	31	Ohio State University (Main campus)	Ohio
16	34	Boston College	Massachusetts
17	39	Penn State (Main campus)	Pennsylvania
18	42	University of California, Irvine	California
19	46	University of California, San Diego	California
20	47	University of Maryland, College Park	Maryland
21	=51	Florida State University	Florida
22	=51	Purdue University West Lafayette	Indiana
23	54	Texas A&M University	Texas
24	=55	University of Southern California	California
25	=57	Arizona State University (Tempe)	Arizona
26	60	Indiana University	Indiana
27	63	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	North Carolina
28	=64	University of Massachusetts	Massachusetts
29	=68	University of Florida	Florida
=30	=72	Brown University	Rhode Island
=30	=72	University of Colorado Boulder	Colorado
32	=77	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh campus	Pennsylvania
33	81	University of Virginia (Main campus)	Virginia
34	89	University of Georgia	Georgia
=35	101–125	University of Arizona	Arizona
=35	101–125	University of California, Santa Barbara	California
=35	101–125	University of Illinois Chicago	Illinois
=35	101–125	University of Iowa	Iowa
=35	101–125	University of Minnesota	Minnesota
=35	101–125	University of Rochester	Rochester
=41	126–150	Georgia State University	Georgia
=41	126–150	University of Hawai’i at Mānoa	Hawai'i
=41	126–150	University of Kansas	Kansas
=41	126–150	North Carolina State University	North Carolina
=41	126–150	Tufts University	Massachusetts
=41	126–150	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University	Virginia
=47	151–175	Boston University	Massachusetts
=47	151–175	University of California, Davis	California
=47	151–175	University of Central Florida	Florida
=47	151–175	University of Connecticut	Connecticut
=51	176–200	University at Buffalo	New York
=51	176–200	University of California, Santa Cruz	California
=51	176–200	University of Delaware	Delaware
=51	176–200	Iowa State University	Iowa
=51	176–200	Mizzou - University of Missouri	Missouri
=51	176–200	Syracuse University	New York
=57	201–250	University of California, Riverside	California
=57	201–250	University of Denver	Colorado
=57	201–250	Florida International University	Florida
=57	201–250	George Washington University	Washington DC
=57	201–250	University of Houston	Texas
=57	201–250	University of Kentucky	Kentucky
=57	201–250	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	Nebraska
=57	201–250	University of South Florida	Florida
=57	201–250	Temple University	Pennsylvania
=66	251–300	University of Miami	Florida
=66	251–300	University of North Carolina at Charlotte	North Carolina
=66	251–300	University of Notre Dame	Indiana
=66	251–300	University of Oregon	Oregon
=66	251–300	University of South Carolina-Columbia	South Carolina
=66	251–300	University of Utah	Utah
=66	251–300	Virginia Commonwealth University	Virginia
=66	251–300	Washington State University	Washington
=74	301–400	University of Alabama	Alabama
=74	301–400	University of Arkansas	Arkansas
=74	301–400	Auburn University	Alabama
=74	301–400	Baylor University	Texas
=74	301–400	Chapman University	California
=74	301–400	University of Colorado Denver /Anschutz Medical Campus	Colorado
=74	301–400	Drexel University	Pennsylvania
=74	301–400	Florida Atlantic University	Florida
=74	301–400	George Mason University	Virginia
=74	301–400	Howard University	Washington DC
=74	301–400	Louisiana State University	Louisiana
=74	301–400	University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Maryland
=74	301–400	University of Memphis	Tennessee
=74	301–400	University of Nevada, Las Vegas	Nevada
=74	301–400	Northern Illinois University	Illinois
=74	301–400	Oklahoma State University	Oklahoma
=74	301–400	Old Dominion University	Virginia
=74	301–400	Portland State University	Oregon
=74	301–400	San Diego State University	California
=74	301–400	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	Tennessee
=74	301–400	The University of Texas at San Antonio	Texas
=74	301–400	Texas Tech University	Texas
=74	301–400	William & Mary	Virginia
=74	301–400	University of Wyoming	Wyoming
=98	401–500	Adelphi University	New York
=98	401–500	Colorado State University, Fort Collins	Colorado
=98	401–500	Kansas State University	Kansas
=98	401–500	Lehigh University	Pennsylvania
=98	401–500	Mississippi State University	Mississippi
=98	401–500	New Mexico State University (Main campus)	New Mexico
=98	401–500	Oakland University	Michigan
=98	401–500	Ohio University (Main campus)	Ohio
=98	401–500	Saint Louis University	Missouri
=98	401–500	SUNY Binghamton University	New York
=98	401–500	University of Texas at Arlington	Texas
=98	401–500	University of Toledo	Ohio
=98	401–500	Wayne State University	Michigan
=98	401–500	Western Michigan University	Michigan
=112	501–600	Bowling Green State University	Ohio
=112	501–600	Central Michigan University	Michigan
=112	501–600	Georgia Southern University	Georgia
=112	501–600	Marquette University	Wisconsin
=112	501–600	Montana State University	Montana
=112	501–600	University of Rhode Island	Rhode Island
=112	501–600	Rowan University	New Jersey
=112	501–600	University of Texas at El Paso	Texas
=112	501–600	Texas State University	Texas
=112	501–600	Wake Forest University	North Carolina
=122	601+	College of Charleston	South Carolina
=122	601+	Nova Southeastern University	Florida
=122	601+	University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	Texas