Best Colleges for Chemistry Majors

Chemistry is a core science and at the best colleges for chemistry degrees, students are imbued with a curiosity to develop an understanding of how the world works at its most basic level. Chemistry at its most basic level deals with the properties, internal structure and transformation of different forms of matter at the molecular and atomic level.

Top 160 Best Colleges for Chemistry Ranked

We have analyzed hundreds of colleges and created this RealRank ranking of the top 160 best colleges for Chemistry.

Rank	College	City	State
1	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Cambridge	MA
2	Stanford University	Palo Alto	CA
3	University of Texas	Austin	TX
4	California Institute of Technology	Pasadena	CA
5	Georgia Institute of Technology	Atlanta	GA
6	Texas A&M University	College Station	TX
7	Northwestern University	Evanston	IL
8	Harvard University	Cambridge	MA
9	Purdue University	West Lafayette	IN
10	University of Chicago	Chicago	IL
11	University of Illinois	Champaign	IL
12	University of California - Berkeley	Berkeley	CA
13	University Of Wisconsin	Madison	WI
14	University of California - Los Angeles	Los Angeles	CA
15	Penn State	University Park	PA
16	Columbia University	New York	NY
17	University of Washington	Seattle	WA
18	Cornell University	Ithaca	NY
19	Rice University	Houston	TX
20	University of Michigan	Ann Arbor	MI
21	University of North Carolina	Chapel Hill	NC
22	Yale University	New Haven	CT
23	Princeton University	Princeton	NJ
24	University of California - San Diego	San Diego	CA
25	University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	PA
26	University of Utah	Salt Lake City	UT
27	Duke University	Durham	NC
28	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	Twin Cities	MN
29	University of Florida	Gainesville	FL
30	Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore	MD
31	North Carolina State University	Raleigh	NC
32	Arizona State University	Tempe	AZ
33	The Ohio State University	Columbus	OH
34	University of Cincinnati	Cincinnati	OH
35	Florida State University	Tallahassee	FL
36	Iowa State University	Ames	IA
37	University of Arizona	Tuscon	AZ
38	Carnegie Mellon University	Pittsburgh	PA
39	University of Colorado	Boulder	CO
40	Virginia Polytechnic University (Virginia Tech)	Blacksburg	VA
41	Vanderbilt University	Nashville	TN
42	Emory University	Atlanta	GA
43	Indiana University	Bloomington	IN
44	University of Southern California	Los Angeles	CA
45	University of Maryland	College Park	MD
46	University of Georgia	Athens	GA
47	University of Tennessee	Knoxville	TN
48	Michigan State University	East Lansing	MI
49	Louisiana State University (LSU)	Baton Rouge	LA
50	University of California - Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara	CA
51	University of Nebraska - Lincoln	Lincoln	NB
52	University of Virginia	Charlottesville	VA
53	University of Alabama	Tuscaloosa	AL
54	Washington State University	Pullman	WA
55	University of Oregon	Eugene	OR
56	University of Kansas	Lawrence	KS
57	Rutgers University	Piscataway	NJ
58	University of Notre Dame	South Bend	IN
59	Clemson University	Clemson	SC
60	University of Oklahoma	Norman	OK
61-75	Colorado State University	Ft. Collins	CO
61-75	Auburn University	Auburn	AL
61-75	University of Houston	Houston	TX
61-75	University of South Carolina	Columbia	SC
61-75	University of Iowa	Iowa City	IA
61-75	Baylor University	Waco	TX
61-75	University of Kentucky	Lexington	KY
61-75	University of Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	PA
61-75	Kansas State University	Manhattan	KS
61-75	University of California - Davis	Davis	CA
61-75	University of Massachusetts - Amherst	Amherst	MA
61-75	Southern Methodist University	Dallas	TX
61-75	University of Rochester	Rochester	NY
61-75	Oklahoma State University	Stillwater	OK
76-100	Texas Tech University	Lubbock	TX
76-100	University of Arkansas	Fayetteville	AR
76-100	University at Buffalo - SUNY	Buffalo	NY
76-100	West Virginia University	Morgantown	WV
76-100	Brown University	Providence	RI
76-100	Washington University	St. Louis	MO
76-100	University of Nevada - Reno	Reno	NV
76-100	University of Rhode Island	Kingston	RI
76-100	University of Louisville	Louisville	KY
76-100	University of California - Irvine	Irvine	CA
76-100	University of South Florida	Tampa	FL
76-100	University of Delaware	Newark	DE
76-100	University of Central Florida	Orlando	FL
76-100	Mississippi State University	Starkville	MS
76-100	University of Mississippi	Oxford	MS
76-100	University of Miami	Coral Gables	FL
76-100	New York University	New York	NY
76-100	Colorado School of Mines	Golden	CO
76-100	University of Wyoming	Laramie	WY
76-100	Tulane University	New Orleans	LA
76-100	Brigham Young University	Salt Lake City	UT
76-100	University of Illinois - Chicago	Chicago	IL
76-100	Montana State University	Bozeman	MT
76-100	Boston College	Chestnut Hill	MA
76-100	Virginia Commonwealth University	Richmond	VA
101-160	University of Montana	Missoula	MT
101-160	University of California - Riverside	Riverside	CA
101-160	Ohio University	Athens	OH
101-160	Utah State University	Logan	UT
101-160	University of Nevada - Las Vegas (UNLV)	Las Vegas	NV
101-160	University of New Hampshire	Durham	NH
101-160	University of Idaho	Moscow	ID
101-160	Wayne State University	Detroit	MI
101-160	Case Western Reserve University	Cleveland	OH
101-160	Rensselear Polytechnic Institute	Troy	NY
101-160	Georgetown University	Washington	DC
101-160	Brandeis University	Waltham	MA
101-160	Georgia State University	Atlanta	GA
101-160	Wake Forest University	Winston-Salem	NC
101-160	Boston University	Boston	MA
101-160	Stony Brook University - SUNY	Stony Brook	NY
101-160	Tufts University	Medford	MA
101-160	University of Connecticut	Storrs	CT
101-160	Dartmouth College	Hanover	NH
101-160	Illinois Institute of Technology	Chicago	IL
101-160	University of Texas at San Antonio	San Antonio	TX
101-160	North Dakota State	Fargo	ND
101-160	University of North Texas	Denton	TX
101-160	University of Texas at Arlington	Arlington	TX
101-160	Oregon State University	Corvallis	OR
101-160	Rutgers University - Newark	Newark	NJ
101-160	University of Missouri - Columbia	Columbia	MO
101-160	Southern Illinois University - Carbondale	Carbondale	IL
101-160	Florida International University	Miami	FL
101-160	Liberty University	Lynchburg	VA
101-160	University of North Carolina - Charlotte	Charlotte	NC
101-160	University of Tennessee-Chattanooga	Chattanooga	TN
101-160	University of Akron	Akron	OJ
101-160	University of San Francisco	San Francisco	CA
101-160	New Mexico State University	Las Cruces	NM
101-160	Syracuse University	Syracuse	NY
101-160	Bowling Green State University	Bowling Green	OH
101-160	Missouri University of Science and Technology	Rolla	MO
101-160	Northern Arizona University	Flagstaff	AZ
101-160	SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry	Syracuse	NY
101-160	Florida Atlantic University	Boca Raton	Fl
101-160	University of Hawaii - Manoa	Honolulu	HI
101-160	Northeastern University	Boston	MA
101-160	University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee	Milwaukee	WI
101-160	Wesleyan University	Middletown	CT
101-160	University of Texas at Dallas	Dallas	TX
101-160	St. Louis University	St. Louis	MO
101-160	University of California - Merced	Merced	CA
101-160	State University of New York at Binghamton	Binghamton	NY
101-160	Marquette University	Milwaukee	WI
101-160	Miami University	Oxford	OH
101-160	George Washington University	Washington	DC
101-160	University of Vermont	Burlington	VT
101-160	Drexel University	Philadelphia	PA
101-160	Duquesne University	Pittsburgh	PA
101-160	Lehigh University	Bethlehem	PA
101-160	University of Missouri - St. Louis	St. Louis	MO
101-160	Temple University	Philadelphia	PA
101-160	University of California - Santa Cruz	Santa Cruz	CA
101-160	Long Island University	Brookville	NY
101-160	Clarkson University	Potsdam	NY

You can find more information on our RealRank^TManalytics used in creating list in the About page. The underlined colleges provide links to the rankings profile specific to that institution. If your college is not profiled as yet, contact us using the contact form.

Have you attended any of these degree programs? What has been your experience?

What is a Chemistry Major?

Chemistry majors at the most basic level dispassionately apply the scientific method in learning and performing lab work. As one of the top universities stated:

Chemists use careful reasoning and trial-and-error experimentation to create new molecules in order to explore new materials, study biological processes, and develop therapeutics, with the common goal of ultimately improving everyday life. Cornell – What is Chemistry

For undergraduate students, a chemistry major typically involves a broad exposure to the major areas of the field, with a concentration in one or more. Coursework may include:

Organic chemistry – which deals with chemical processes in living things.
Inorganic chemistry – which deals with chemical processes anywhere in the environment.
Physical chemistry.
Quantum Mechanics.
Thermodynamics.
Biological chemistry.

Chemistry Careers

Students graduating with degrees in Chemistry qualify for a wide range of career paths. For those wishing to stay in the field, as a pure chemist, typically an advanced degree is required. Examples of careers utilizing chemistry degrees are:

Chemist
Chemical Engineer (requiring graduate or undergraduate degree in chemical engineering).
Medical Doctor – Chemistry provides a good foundational science for many students ultimately pursuing careers in medicine.
Attorney – Law degree required.
Geologist – There is a lot of overlap between geosciences and chemistry.
Materials Scientist
Teaching
Environmental management – either for private companies or governmental agencies.

Best Colleges for Chemistry Majors

Top 160 Best Colleges for Chemistry Ranked

What is a Chemistry Major?

Chemistry Careers

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