16 PhD programmes offered by the university

The Applied Physics program at Northwestern University offers interdisciplinary PhD research opportunities for graduate students with a strong undergraduate background in Physics.

The Physics program at Northwestern University prepares students for careers in research, teaching, or industry. 

Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (NUIN) is a highly interactive and collaborative program, with faculty distributed across more than 20 departments on the Chicago and Evanston campuses.

The Mathematics program at Northwestern University aims to develop students into productive research mathematicians. 

The Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences program at Northwestern University provides the resources and training environment necessary to promote the development of Ph.D. students into independent, creative research scientists and teachers.

Graduates of the Chemical and Biological Engineering program at Northwestern University develop mastery of modern chemical and biological engineering theory and practice through a core curriculum. 

The Life Sciences program at Northwestern University combines graduate study in biochemistry and structural biology, cancer biology, cell biology, developmental biology,, genetics and genomics, immunology, microbiology, neurobiology, pharmacology, systems biology, and biomedical informatics into a single program. 

The Earth and Planetary Sciences program at Northwestern University trains graduate students to become conscientious thought leaders in and outside of academia.

The Physical Therapy and Engineering program at Northwestern University focuses on the pathophysiology of movement disorders and how the resulting impairments and handicaps impact the design of therapeutic devices, rehabilitation strategies, and patients' quality of life.

The Statistics program at Northwestern University provides students with comprehensive training in statistical theory, methodology, and the application of statistical methods to problems in a wide range of fields.

The Astronomy program at Northwestern University is designed to provide students with a broad training in astronomy while enabling them to get started quickly with their graduate research. 

The Financial Economics program at Northwestern University is offered jointly by the Department of Economics in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of Finance in the Kellogg School of Management. 

The Plant Biology and Conservation program at Northwestern University focuses on preparing students for future leadership positions in botanical science and plant conservation. 

The Biomedical Engineering - Cell and Molecular Engineering program at Northwestern University develops new experimental and computational approaches to understand molecular networks in cells and to program cells to perform new functions, including the assembly of biological parts to build new molecular devices, drugs, high value chemicals and to perform bio sensing and drug delivery.

The Engineering Sciences and Applied Mathematics program at Northwestern University educates students in mathematical methods and their application to various scientific and engineering fields.

The Chemistry program at Northwestern University focuses on graduate teaching and research at the forefront of the discipline, and prepares students for research positions in industry or academia.