The Best Universities for PhDs in Agriculture in the UK (2024)

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There are many reasons why someone might want to study Agriculture at a university in the UK. Here are just a few:

• Engaging in an Agriculture PhD programme in the UK provides an opportunity to contribute to globally recognised research that is addressing some of the most pressing agricultural challenges, from food security to climate change mitigation.
• The UK is at the forefront of agricultural technology (Agritech), offering PhD students exposure to innovative approaches, cutting-edge technologies, and sustainable farming practices which are redefining modern agriculture.
• Many UK institutions offer well-funded research programmes in partnership with industry leaders or government bodies focused on advancing agricultural sciences and practices.
• Study under esteemed academics who provide expert supervision; their mentorship will help guide groundbreaking doctoral research while contributing extensively to your professional development.

The following tables give the 10 top universities in the UK for Agriculture, according to global and local university rankings. It can show you which UK universities are amongst the best in the world - and help you compare institutions on an international level.

This information is based on the latest rankings tables, researched and published by Times Higher Education, QS and Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU).

Each ranking system uses its own methodology, with different factors having more or less influence on a university's result.

Our guide has more information on how to use international rankings to decide on the best research universities for PhD study.

The Times Higher Education rankings are strong in academic focus and diverse teaching metrics, but do not include employer-specific metrics. Additionally, the rankings may not include all specialist institutions.

The QS World University Rankings are designed to meet the needs of prospective students, with more weight given to student-centric metrics such as staff/student ratio, international recruitment and employer opinion. The rankings are balanced between qualitative and quantitative data, but give less weight to research than some other rankings.

The ARWU rankings reflect the presence of elite academics and the future academic success of graduates. However, they do not directly assess the quality of education at a university or take into account other aspects of university performance.