If anyone deserves her own superlative, it’s Beyoncé, and these schools exemplify the ***flawlessness of Queen Bey to a T. Whether it’s a killer dance team, a pro-feminism student body or even a class on the pop queen herself that makes the school stand out, these colleges have what it takes to make Miss Sasha Fierce proud. Bow down to the top 10 most Beyoncé colleges in the country!
10. UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI (Columbia, Missouri)
The University of Missouri is now offering a course where reading Jay-Z’s autobiography Decoded is part of the curriculum, and you just know Mrs. Carter would be all over this. The class, called “Jay-Z and Kanye West,” gives students the chance to explore the hip-hop stars from different perspectives, such as how they fit within and change the history of pop music and how their rise to celebrity and corporate power alters what we understand as the American dream. So, does this mean that getting tickets to Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s “On the Run” tour counts as studying?
“The point [of the course] is to sort of compare their music and writing to more traditional poetry and also look at how they fit into rap music as a whole,” says Nicole, a senior at Mizzou. “I know it always fills up fast, which isn't surprising because I think most people would rather watch Kanye videos than stare at a boring PowerPoint presentation!” Considering the fact that these hip-hop stars are Beyoncé’s husband and friend, there’s no doubt that Queen Bey would love this class (and be the first to register)!
9. MCNALLY SMITH COLLEGE OF MUSIC (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
The McNally Smith College of Music is taking music studies to a whole new (cooler) level. Students can now get a degree in hip-hop studies (say what?!), the first program of its kind in the U.S. What’s more Beyoncé than rocking rhymes and busting beats? These students learn how to command a crowd, just like Queen Bey herself! Hip-hop students can take courses like “Deejay or Emcee Techniques” or “Language of Rap and Spoken Word” taught by faculty members who have worked with national hip-hop greats like Atmosphere and Fatboy Slim. All in favor of signing a petition to get Bey’s hubby Jay-Z to teach a class here? Now put your hands up (wuh uh oh uh uh oh oh uh oh uh uh oh...)!
8. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
Who run the world? Girls. And, because of the 58:42 female-to-male ratio at UNC, they run the campus, too! As one collegiette tells Her Campus, “UNC is a woman’s club.” Although this relative lack of eligible bachelors means there are a lot of ladies without a ring on it, the UNC girls don’t buy into the hype, and they don’t let that stop them from having a good time. All the single ladies, now put your hands up!
Plus, the women of UNC are all about helping one another out, which totally sounds like the Destiny’s Child dynamic to us (R.I.P. our fave girl group). “I think it’s very encouraging because the student body is mostly women, and the faculty (at least in my department) [are] mostly female, too,” says another UNC collegiette. “So, there’s plenty of support and examples of female empowerment. I think it’s been a positive experience being a woman here.” Queen Bey would so be on board. On top of all that, UNC was ranked the most liberal school in North Carolina; and with both a Feminist Students United group and a feminist magazine on campus, we think that Queen Bey, who’s all about gender equality, would fit right in.
7. UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON (Houston, Texas)
Beyoncé is always referencing her hometown of Houston in her songs, so it’s safe to say that this southern city holds a special spot in her heart. Whether she’s filming a music video in Houston, referencing one of the city’s famous restaurants in her songs or rocking a Houston Rockets jersey, Yonce shows that she has major love for “H-town,” which is also home to the University of Houston.
Besides just being located in Bey’s hometown, UH is known for churning out awesome rap/R&B stars, including Lil Wayne and Chamillionaire (though the latter dropped out to pursue his music career and the former eventually switched to online classes). Queen B. would have been right at home here with these star-powered, beat-dropping classmates while they were around campus!
6. CABRINI COLLEGE (Radnor, Pennsylvania)
Cabrini College’s amazing dance team is the epitome of fierce, fabulous ***flawlessness (three words we always associate with Queen Bey!). These talented ladies help out with Special Olympics, teach dance to underprivileged children and even got the opportunity to participate in the annual Cabrini Night at the Phillies, during which they performed at a Philadelphia Phillies game in front over 40,000 people. Talk about a Beyoncé-worthy crowd! This year, the group showed major love for the pop goddess with this killer, must-watch dance routine choreographed to some of Bey’s biggest hits. We think Mrs. Carter would approve!
5. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (New York, New York)
New York City is the capital of fashion, which means that NYU collegiettes can be seen strutting down the street in the edgiest, Queen-Bey-worthy ensembles. “Everyone’s pretty stylish and independent,” one NYU collegiette tells Her Campus. “The streets can seem like a runway at times with people wearing every type of fashion imaginable.” Runway, yes. Concert stage? Most definitely!
Attending this prestigious school in the concrete jungle requires almost a Beyoncé-level income, however, as an NYU degree comes with a hefty price tag. Still, these collegiettes always look on the bright side. One NYU alumni even created this parody video of Beyonce’s “Partition” about the school’s tuition. We’re totally anticipating “Tuition” hitting the Top 40 charts any day now!
4. UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA (Charlottesville, Virginia)
At the University of Virgina, girl power (something we know Queen Bey is all about) and major crooning skills are alive and well on campus. “It's insane how big a cappella is at our school,” says Claire, a sophomore at UVA. “The number of all-girls groups definitely seems to growing, and everyone loves seeing them performing around grounds. On a random weekday you'll see a group standing on the rotunda steps performing and everyone stopped to listen. It's worth being late to class for!”
One of these rock-star female a cappella groups is The Virginia Sil’hooettes, one of the 12 best college a cappella groups in the country! These girls have made a name for themselves belting out covers of powerhouse singers like Adele and (of course) Beyoncé, opening for Ben Folds and winning multiple Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards. Queen B. would be proud!
3. BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC (Boston, Massachusetts)
Berklee’s music program is one of the best in the country with a history of producing famous musicians (John Mayer, Aimee Mann and three members of Imagine Dragons, just to name a few) and Grammy winners on Grammy winners (doesn’t Bey have a few of those?).
The college even hosts an annual one-day symposium about the business of hip-hop, which features words of wisdom and advice from some of the biggest names in the industry. In 2011, the symposium featured an all-female panel that included Nina Packer, who manages rappers like Nicki Minaj, Drake and Lil Wayne. Talk about star power!
2. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY (New York, New York)
Not only is Columbia an Ivy League university, but blue is also one of its school colors. Clearly it’s Blue Ivy Carter's future alma mater! Plus, Columbia is in NYC, and you know Jay-Z loves Brooklyn.
Since the prestigious school attracts some of the brightest, most talented students from all over the world, the diverse campus is home to future world leaders, visionaries and otherwise kick-a** women! We prefer to call them “Independent Women. “Being a woman on campus is empowering,” one Columbia collegiette explains to Her Campus. “You're surrounded by so many fierce and fabulous individuals that you can't help but feel fierce and fabulous yourself.” Sounds like Miss Sasha Fierce would fit right in!
1. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
For the ultimate Queen Bey fanatics, Rutgers is now offering a course called “Politicizing Beyoncé,” which examines race, gender and sexuality through the singer’s music. “The course asks questions about Beyonce's song lyrics, dress and what our love of her says about feminism and American culture,” says Lin, a sophomore at Rutgers. “I haven't taken it yet, but I'm definitely excited about having such an interesting interdisciplinary course coming to our campus!” The class will also explore Beyoncé’s control over her own aesthetic and her alter ego, Sasha Fierce. What more does a Bey devotee need? With a whole syllabus inspired by Beyoncé herself, Rutgers’s pop culture class easily earns it the #1 spot as the best Queen Bey college.
Check out the rest of Her Campus's 2014 College Rankings here!