Paleontology is the study of the history of life on Earth as based on fossils. It is the scientific study of the life of the geologic past that involves the analysis of plant and animal fossils, including those of microscopic size, preserved in rocks.

Are you interested to start your career as a paleontologist? To help you out, we have put together a list of the ten Best Colleges for Paleontology. There are outstanding institutes in the U.S. offering opportunities for students who wish to pursue studies in this magnificent field.

Check out our full list and choose the best college or university that will fulfill your educational goal. Best of luck for your future career!

Yale University

Department of Geology and Geophysics 

The Yale University is one of the best universities in the world, it has a long-standing reputation for being amongst the leading research centers in the world. The Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale University is ranked as the premier institution for earth science due to its extensive resources and highly successful research efforts. It offers the interdisciplinary graduate program and incorporates many aspects of the various disciplines of earth sciences including chemistry, physics, biology, and geology. There are extensive laboratory facilities both in the Department of Geology and Geophysics and in the Environmental Science Center.

Founded In: 1842
Ranking: 1st
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 47,600 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 203-432-4771
Website: https://earth.yale.edu/paleontology-evolution

Wellesley College 

Department of Geosciences

The Wellesley College is a private women’s liberal arts college. The department of geosciences consists of five courses, including any 100-level GEOS course and at least one course at the 300 level. Students will choose an appropriate set of courses with the guidance of a departmental advisor. The Smart, serious women choose Wellesley because it offers one of the best liberal arts educations and total learning environments available anywhere. But they graduate with more than a highly regarded degree and four memorable years. Laboratory exercises, field trips, and a semester-long research project provide authentic experiences to develop the skills needed to observe and model processes shaping our environment.

Founded In: 1870
Ranking: 2nd
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 46,836 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 781-283-1000
Website: http://www.wellesley.edu/

Harvard University

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

The Harvard University is the oldest higher education institution in the country. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences of Havard University offers the various undergraduate, graduate, and various research programs. The research topics of particular interest in the Knoll lab are Archean and Proterozoic paleontology, carbonate sedimentology, biogeochemistry, and paleobotany. Students pursuing graduate study in paleontology are associated with either the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences or Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. Paleontological research at Harvard spans multiple departments and disciplines and includes invertebrate paleobiology, vertebrate paleontology, paleobotany, paleoentomology, analytical paleontology, geobiology, and astrobiology.

Founded In: 1636
Ranking: 3rd
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 45,278 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 617-495-1000
Website: https://eps.harvard.edu/pages/paleontology-harvard-university

Stanford University

Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences

The Stanford University is a private research university in Stanford, California. It has 40 academic departments at the undergraduate and graduate level and four professional schools that focus on graduate programs in Law, Medicine, Education, and Business. It offers both undergrad and graduate degrees. The majority of the students are graduate students, with a large contingent of coterminal master’s degree recipients from the Earth Systems interdisciplinary program. Its undergraduate program is one of the top three most selective in the United States.

Founded In: 1891
Ranking: 4th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 46,320 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 650-723-2300
Website: https://pangea.stanford.edu/news/paleontology-earths-mantle

Brown University

Brown’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The Brown University is the seventh oldest institution of higher education in the United States. The Brown’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology offers 51 doctoral programs and 32 master’s programs, including those of the School of Engineering, the School of Public Health, and the School of Professional Studies. It is an interactive group of 20 faculties and approximately 35 graduate students engaged in research and coursework that spans the fields of anatomy, behavior, ecology, evolution, genetics, genomics and paleontology. Independent research begins early in the program, which is designed to prepare students for careers in research and higher education. Each student develops a program of preparation based on close mentoring by a thesis committee.

Founded In: 1764
Ranking: 5th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 49,346 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 401-863-1000
Website: https://www.brown.edu/academics/gradschool/programs/biomed-ecology-and-evolutionary-biology

Dartmouth College

Department of Earth Sciences

The Dartmouth, America’s oldest college has a Department of Earth Science which offers undergraduate, graduate, and research degree programs. The department works to provide a friendly atmosphere for all students. Undergraduate students play a visible and important role in the department, both in departmental research and life. The M.S. degree is intended to train students for professional careers in the Earth and environmental sciences, or as preparation for further graduate study.  The doctoral program is designed to develop the skills and perspectives needed to conduct, interpret, present, and publish original research in the Earth sciences.

Founded In: 1769
Ranking: 6th
Tuition & Fees Approximately:  49,506 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 603-646-1110
Website: http://dartmouth.edu/

University of Pennsylvania

The Department of Geosciences

The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research university. It consists the School of Arts and Sciences also contains the Graduate Division, the College of Liberal, and academic departments. The Department of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University offers both master and doctorate degrees in the field of geosciences with various areas of specialization. Their courses include hydro-pedology, geomicrobiology, stable and radioactive isotopes in geo-sciences, paleobotany, paleontology and fossils, vertebrate paleontology and micropaleontology. The college does not require specific courses to be completed for the doctorate program.

Founded In: 1740
Ranking: 7th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 49,536 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 215-898-5000
Website: https://www.geosc.psu.edu/

Carleton College 

Department of Earth Sciences

Carleton is one of the nation’s top liberal arts and sciences colleges. It provides vertebrate paleontology and paleoecology program taps into the wealth of scientific expertise available from the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Earth Sciences section vertebrate paleontological division. The vertebrate paleontology and paleoecology program offers the possibility of a fourth-year field course for the student to some remote locality that is often inaccessible to the general public. Paleontology has played a central role in deciphering the history of the Earth, including the rates and dates of tectonic activity, evolution, climate change, and large impact events. Paleontology uses both qualitative and quantitative methods and can be incorporated throughout the geoscience curriculum.

Founded In: 1866
Ranking: 8th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 49,263 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: 49,263 USD
Website: http://earthsci.carleton.ca/current-students/vertebrate-paleontology-program

Colgate University

Department of Geology

The Colgate University is a private liberal arts college. The department of geology offers the variety of programs at Colgate; you can be a part of one of the best undergraduate geology programs in the nation. The geology department strives to provide the best possible education while also fostering a sense of community among our faculty and students. Its students explore the science of geology, working side-by-side with world-class faculty and top-line peers in the classroom, in the field, and in the lab.

Founded In: 1819
Ranking: 9th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 49,970 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 315-228-1000
Website: http://www.colgate.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/geology

Washington University

Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

The Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university. The Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences offers majors and minors in Geology, Geochemistry, Geophysics, and Environmental Earth Sciences (EES).  It provides the tools for understanding the processes that shape our planet and other solar system bodies. The EES majors offer a range of customization that allows students to focus on topics with the greatest relevance to their academic interests and career plans.  Understanding the Earth system is also the key to addressing many environmental challenges, including climate change, water quality, and sources of energy.

Founded In: 1853
Ranking: 10th
Tuition & Fees Approximately: 48,093 USD
Finance and Admission Office Contact: +1 314-935-5000
Website: https://eps.wustl.edu/