An education degree can open doors to working and teaching in schools as well as carrying out research into how we learn.
The best universities for education degrees to help you decide on the best institution for you.
Tsinghua University is the only university in Asia to rank among the top 5. The only UK institutions in the top 10 are the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, at third and fourth, respectively. The University of Toronto moves up five places this year to feature in the top 5.
US universities are well represented in the subject ranking for education, with 124 universities. A total of 72 universities are from the UK and 77 are from Asia.
Canada and Australia are also represented in the ranking, with 22 and 35 universities, respectively.
Subject rankings are based on the same 18 performance indicators used in the overall World University Rankings 2025. However, the methodology is carefully recalibrated for each subject, with the weightings adjusted to suit the individual fields. The full methodology for the education ranking can be found.
Top 5 universities for education degrees
5. Harvard University
Harvard University offers 13 master’s programmers and a number of doctoral programmers in education.
The master’s courses cover many aspects of the subject, including arts and education, higher education, international education policy, and human development and education.
Among the faculty are experts in wide-ranging aspects of education, including bilingual education, adult learning, economy and education, and social services and schools.
4. University of Cambridge
Education is offered at both undergraduate and postgraduate level at the University of Cambridge.
The three-year undergraduate education degree accepts only 42 students per year.
The undergraduate course consists of three possible tracks: education, psychology and learning; education, policy and international development; or education, English, drama and the arts.
Postgraduates wishing to study education can choose a PGCE, master’s or doctorate. The PGCE course is taken as a specialist in primary or secondary (high school) education. Both options include significant placement time, with secondary PGCE students spending at least 120 days of the course in schools.
3. University of Oxford
Research at the University of Oxford’s department of education is centered around three key themes: language, cognition and development; economy, policy and society; and knowledge, pedagogy and design. Within each of these areas are several research groups and centers.
As well as research into education, the department provides teacher training for primary and secondary school teachers.
The department regularly hosts seminars and public lectures by nationally distinguished speakers in the field of education.
2. Stanford University
The Stanford University Graduate School of Education is one of seven schools at the institution, which also include business, law, engineering and medicine. It has a reputation as one of the best education schools in the US.
The school provides seven master’s programmers, 21 doctoral programmers and three joint programmers. There are also undergraduate programmers for students wishing to pursue a minor in education or take part in the honors programmer.
The doctoral programmers aim to promote research in education, looking at the psychology behind how we learn as well as curriculum studies and teacher training.
1. University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley offers MA and PhD programmers across a wide range of topics in the field of education, such as the impact of race, class and gender, and the influence of politics and policy on education.
Undergraduates also have the option to take a minor in education, and it is one of the university’s most popular minors.
At Berkeley, there are also courses that will prepare students for a teaching career, from classroom teaching to district-level leadership.