Best Universities For Masters in Philosophy & Religion In World

The University of Oxford is one of the world's most notable and historical institutes. A self-governing institute, it is ranked the fourth best university in the world by QS World University Ranking 2023. On the other hand, it is ranked #1 by the Times Higher Education World Ranking list for 2022. It is a world-class university that is highly regarded for its contribution to research.

Located in the city of Oxford, the University has more than 30 colleges, all spread throughout the city. Established in the 13th century, the University, Balliol, and Merton Colleges are the oldest. Green Templeton is the University’s newest college.

The University has three societies – Kellogg College, Reuben College, and St Cross College and they are considered departments under Oxford.

Students from more than 160 countries and territories come to study at Oxford.

The University of Cambridge, one of the oldest universities in the world, consistently ranks among the top 1%, regularly appearing in the top 10 of all global rankings. With 31 colleges, 6 schools, and over 150 departments, it offers a rich academic environment for more than 24,000 students from 142 countries, making it a truly global institution.

Cambridge is also renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit, being the birthplace of 24 businesses valued at over $1 billion (£800 million). Its alumni network is distinguished by 47 heads of state and 125 Nobel Prize winners from countries like the USA, France, and Italy. This reputation solidifies Cambridge as one of the best places to study in the UK.

Founded in 1885 by Leland and Jane Stanford in memory of their only son, Stanford University opened its doors in 1891. Since then, Stanford University has been a global hub for academic excellence and research innovation. With a student body of over 18,600, including 7,500 undergraduates and nearly 10,000 graduate students. It offers an elite academic environment on an expansive 8,180-acre campus in the heart of Silicon Valley.

Harvard University is one of the top 5 universities in the world. Its highly competitive acceptance rate of just 3.64% makes it especially selective in programs like engineering and medicine. Harvard, being one of the oldest universities in the US, combines rich history with academic excellence.

Renowned for its academic excellence, Harvard has produced notable individuals, including former U.S. President Barack Obama and industry leaders like Bill Gates. Harvard alumni have had a massive impact globally, creating 20.4 million jobs and founding organizations with combined revenues exceeding $3.9 trillion.

Harvard University offers courses, numbering around 3700, across its schools, including Harvard College, Business, Law, Medical, and Engineering Schools. Harvard is also recognized for its research and innovation in medicine, technology, social sciences, and environmental studies.

The University College London is a public research university and has a campus at Bloomsbury in London’s Knowledge Quarter. The University College London UK has partner organizations such as the Alan Turing Institute, Google, Wellcome Trust, and the British Museum in the zone. The University was founded in 1826 and has more than 20,000 graduate students coming from 150+ global nations, pursuing 650+ graduate degree courses. The institution was the first in England to admit students from all religions and women.

The University College London ranking is number 9th in the QS World University Rankings list for 2024. It is also ranked at 22nd position in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings tally.

Yale University, a private Ivy League research institution, carries a legacy from its founding as the Collegiate School. Over the centuries, it has become one of the most respected universities globally. Notably, Yale was the first U.S. university to award a PhD in 1861, marking a significant milestone in American education.

The university's influence extends far beyond academics. Yale University has produced 5 U.S. Presidents, highlighting its role in shaping national leadership. With an impressive endowment valued at $40.7 billion, it offers unmatched resources, ensuring that students benefit from advanced facilities, expert faculty, and world-class opportunities.

The Johns Hopkins University takes its name after the exemplary man, John Hopkins, who pushed the boundaries of education and public health in Baltimore and, since its establishment in 1876, has ensured to further his life's cause. 

The university runs with the simple motto of spreading the light of knowledge, original research, and independent thinking across the world. It’s also America’s first research university. 

This private research university has earned #32 position worldwide in the QS World University Rankings 2024. On the other hand, THE Times Higher Education places the university at #15 rank in the US College Rankings 2024. 

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, holds the #21 spot in the 2025 U.S. News National Universities ranking. The university enrolls approximately 33,730 undergraduates and over 46,000 total students.

The university offers over 275 degree programs and is renowned for its impressive research output and comprehensive graduate offerings. A top choice for those looking to study in the USA, the University of Michigan received a record-breaking 115,000+ applications for Fall 2025.

The University of Michigan holds #18 spot in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings 2025, making it one of the best universities and colleges in the USA for academic prestige and research excellence. U-M is one of only three U.S. public universities in the global top 20 for academic reputation.

The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is one of the oldest and most respected public universities in the UK. Ranked #27 in the QS World Rankings 2025, it welcomes over 51% international students. Edinburgh offers more than 700 programs across undergraduate and postgraduate levels. 

With an average graduate salary of £49,500 (INR 55.9L) and a placement rate of 86%, the university stands out for its academic strength and global student support.

Founded in 1946, Australian National University (ANU) is a leading public university situated in Canberra, Australia. With more than 350 undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral degrees, the university has seven colleges that offer courses in various disciplines. Consistent higher rankings, cutting-edge curriculum, and modern pedagogy with a vision to uplift society are the features that make Australian National University one of the sought-after study abroad destinations. 

McGill University is one of the reputed and leading public universities in Montreal, Canada. The university is well established and offers state-of-art and world-class education and research facilities for postgraduate, undergraduate, and doctoral programs. The excellent education system makes McGill University a ranked university with a competitive acceptance rate of 47% (as per EduRank). To be a part of McGill University, international students need to meet the admission requirements and eligibility criteria completely. 

https://www.mcgill.ca/about/#:~:text=McGill%20University%20is%20one%20of,of%20any%20Canadian%20research%20university.

The University of Manchester in the UK is located towards the southern end of the city center in Manchester, encompassing Oxford Road and Sackville Street, the earlier homes of the Victoria University and UMIST respectively. The University of Manchester is a public research university known for its checkered history. Around 25 Nobel Prize winners have studied or worked at the institution while the atom was first split here by Ernest Rutherford. Alan Turing invented artificial intelligence here while the first stored-program computer in the world was made at the university. The university is known for its Square Kilometer Array, the biggest radio telescope in the world, and also the Jodrell Bank observatory with its Lovell Telescope. 

The University was founded in its current avatar in 2004 through the fusion of the UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology) and the Victoria University of Manchester. After collaborating for 100 years, the institutions merged on 22nd October 2004, creating the biggest single-site UK University. 

The University of Manchester ranking is 1 in THE (Times Higher Education) University Impact Rankings and 27 (World) in the QS World University Rankings for 2021. It is ranked at 35 in the World in the Academic Rankings of World Universities (2021). THE has ranked it at 50 (World) in its 2022 rankings. 

The University of Toronto (U of T) is Canada's largest university, with nearly 100,000 students across its three campuses: St. George, Mississauga, and Scarborough. It offers over 700 undergraduate and 200 graduate programs, making it a comprehensive institution. 

The university is renowned for its research contributions, including discovering insulin and identifying Cygnus X-1 as a black hole. U of T's library system is the largest in Canada, housing over 12 million print volumes and 184,000 journal titles. In 2025, it ranked 21st globally in the THE Rankings. 

King’s College London is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. It is renowned for its academic and research excellence and commitment to sustainable societal change. It is ranked 37 (2023) and 35 (2022) in the QS and THE World University Rankings lists, respectively. The institution was founded in 1829. 

The University of London came up in 1836, with the King’s College being one of its founding colleges. It has witnessed several other mergers, especially with the Chelsea and Queen Elizabeth Colleges (1985), Institute of Psychiatry (1997), and the United Medical and Dental Schools of Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals (1998). The institution has achieved prestigious accreditations, including EQUIS and AACSB. It has 33,000+ students from 150+ countries with 185,000+ global alumni. It also has 14 Nobel Laureates to its credit. 

The institution has Denmark Hill, Strand, Guy’s, St Thomas’, and Waterloo campuses. Some of its research centers include the Academic Centre of Reconstructive Science, ADHD Remote Technology, Aerospace Medicine & Physiology Research Group, Centre for Attention Studies at King’s, and many others. 

The institution offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and short courses for aspirants. The study faculties include Business, Arts & Humanities, Life Sciences & Medicine, Dentistry, Oral & Craniofacial Sciences, Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Law, and Social Science & Public Policy. There is also the King’s Business School for students. 

Famous alumni at the institution include athlete Dina Asher-Smith, author-philosopher Alain de Botton, science fiction writer, author Virginia Woolf, Sir Arthur C Clarke, poet-novelist Thomas Hardy, and biophysicist Rosalind Franklin. Poet John Keats studied here, as did social reformer-nurse Florence Nightingale and politician Sarojini Naidu. 

King’s CareerConnect is a platform for finding new employment opportunities and events and booking appointments. KEATS takes care of resources, career information, case studies, online workshops, and more. Students can also access the King’s Careers Blog for information, along with Academic & Professional Services Support. King’s CareerConnect helps with vacancies, placements, internships, graduate career opportunities, reminders, alerts, career goals, and career lounges. It also helps access career fairs, panels, workshops, masterclasses, presentations, and varied career pathways.

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a leading public research university consistently ranked among the top 40 globally and 3rd in Canada (QS World Rankings 2024). Established in 1908, UBC boasts a diverse student population of over 65,000, comprising more than 20,000 international students from 160 countries. The university offers 200+ undergraduate and 300+ graduate programs across disciplines such as STEM, business, arts, and health sciences.

Eastern Illinois University (EIU) is a public university located in Charleston, United States of America (USA), offering over 80 undergraduate and postgraduate courses in business, arts, science, humanities, and education. Students are guided by a faculty known for their excellence in teaching, creative activity, research, and free and rigorous inquiry. Eastern Illinois University is consistently ranked amongst the top third Midwest universities by US News and World Report, thereby earning its reputation of offering a wide variety of bachelor’s and master’s degree programs. The university has a mission to enrich the social, educational, cultural, and personal development of the students by offering exhilarating co-curricular experiences

The University of Bristol has evolved into a leading city-based institution, with 30,660 students and 10,765 international students (28% of the student body). It employs 8,847 staff and continues a legacy of gender equality as the first English university to admit women on equal terms.

As one of the UK’s top universities, Bristol secured £302.2 million (INR 31,731 Cr) in research income and attracted £7 million (INR 735 Cr) from the Global Challenges Research Fund alone. The University of Bristol ranking shows that it ranks among the top 5 UK institutions for research quality, confirming its commitment to academic excellence.

Bristol offers over 600 term-based courses across foundation, undergraduate, postgraduate, and short-term programs. This blog explores what makes it one of the top universities in the UK. Its diverse curriculum is ideal for students looking to study in the UK.

Duke University has a chequered legacy, deriving its origins to a smaller school in 1838 at Randolph County, North Carolina. It was a preparatory institution for young men under the Union Institute Academy. It became chartered into Normal College in 1851 and transformed into Trinity College in 1859. The Cherokee Industrial School also came up here while college president John F. Crowell encouraged a shift to Durham in 1892. With a request from Washington Duke in 1897, the institution began offering admissions to women. The school changed once again to Duke University in 1924 after establishing the Duke Endowment by Washington Duke’s child, James Buchanan Duke. A new campus was built with these funds, while several other changes have taken place over the years. 

Duke University has 6,789 UG and 9,991 PG and professional students on its rolls, while 52% of UG students get financial aid in some form or the other. It also maintains an enviable 8:1 ratio of students to faculty members. 

The Duke University acceptance rate is 7.7% as of 2020. Some famous alumni include comedian and physician Ken Jeong, Mehta Engineering VP and singer Radha Mehta, Apple CEO Timothy Cook, physician-anthropologist-human rights activist Paul Farmer, WNBA President Lisa Borders, Ex-Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, Melissa & Doug Toys Co-Founder Melissa Bernstein, Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson, International Speedway Corporation CEO Lesa Kennedy, Microsoft CFO Amy Hood, CBS Sports President, Sean McManus, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, broadcasters and NBA star Grant Hill, Melinda French Gates, Co-Founder at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and former U.S. President Richard Nixon to name a few. 

The University of Warwick in the UK was founded in 1965 after receiving its Royal Charter of Incorporation. The University of Warwick got approval in 1961 from the government and has four campuses: Central Campus, Lakeside & Cryfield, Westwood & Science Park, and Gibbet Hill Campus.

The City and County together worked to make a 400-acre university campus a reality. It has 29 departments and 50+ research centers and institutions across the Science, Arts, Medicine, Entertainment, and Social Sciences faculties. It is a public research institution.

The University of Warwick's ranking is #106 (globally) for 2024 as per the Times Higher Education (THE) world university rankings tally and #20 in the UK. It is also ranked at #172 in the list of global universities according to US News rankings.

The University of Texas, Austin is one of the most respected state universities in the United States of America. With a history of over 140 years, it houses over 52,000 students across 18 colleges and specialization schools with a teaching faculty of 3,000.

Texas’s most prominent research institution, the university draws over $650 million (? 4,850 crores) in research funding each year. The university acts as a platform to explore many prospects across career fields within the city of Austin in Texas, known for celebrating its people’s entrepreneurial energy and creativity.

The institution is home to seventeen libraries and seven museums, including the LBJ Presidential Library and the Blanton Museum of Art. It also manages several research centres, including the J. J. Pickle Research Campus and the McDonald Observatory.

With so much to its name, the University of Texas is a mammoth in the world of education, with it receiving thousands of applications across departments each year.