Everyone knows that the characters on The Big Bang Theory are extremely intelligent, but do fans remember where they got their degrees?
Given how important the studies of the main character of The Big Bang Theory are on the show, it’s interesting to explore where Sheldon went to college and what Amy studied before the events of the show. From the first moments of the show, it is established that these characters are impressively educated, even if they lack social skills. Their jobs and educational background were a key part of the show’s plot and the characters’ identities, from Penny’s insecurity over dropping out of community college to Sheldon’s superiority complex over completing his college education earlier than everyone else.
Each of the characters studied at different institutions, some of which Sheldon felt were superior to others, of course. When taking a closer look at the characters, their educational background reflected their personalities and early lives while influencing their careers and relationships. From how they interact with each other to the storylines that they have throughout The Bang Bang Theory‘s 12 seasons, they can be linked back to their education. All these little details are an important part of what made The Big Bang Theory characters who they were, and it’s important that they’re remembered.
Stuart (Kevin Sussman)
Rhode Island School Of Design
Unlike most of the main characters, Stuart’s field of expertise wasn’t in any scientific. He studied Art at the Rhode Island School of Design and then opened his comic book store when he couldn’t get a job as a comic book artist. His connection to “geek culture” is what made him friends with the rest of the characters. However, his comic book store wasn’t very successful, and Stuart’s self-confidence ended up being rattled significantly by the failed endeavor.
He showed off his drawing prowess from time to time in the series, such as when he drew a portrait of Penny and when he created the graphics for the book based on Howard’s time in space. At the same time, his comic book store started thriving, helping him regain a bit of his confidence and soon get a steady girlfriend.
Rajesh (Kynal Nayyar)
Cambridge University
Raj owed his career in Astrophysics to Cambridge University. Thanks to his doctorate in the field, he secured a position at Caltech, where he worked with his friends. In season 12, he also took on a part-time job at the Griffith Planetarium, where he explained the science of the cosmos. The job proved important to Raj’s growth as he finally stood up to Howard, who constantly made fun of him, and Raj also became more confident in himself and his abilities. Despite initially being unable to talk to women, Raj had several relationships by the end of the series.
Cambridge was quite far from home for Raj, who was originally from New Delhi, India. However, throughout the series, he consistently expressed his dislike for his home and the food there, so his choice to study far from home ties in logically with that. Cambridge was far enough for him to enjoy a change of pace, environment, and cuisine — which he so often expressed love for.
Howard (Simon Helberg)
MIT
Howard was proud of his MIT-obtained education in engineering, often bringing up his master’s degree, even though Sheldon always mocked him for being the only one out of their group without a PhD. Sheldon also made fun of Howard’s job in Engineering at Caltech on a regular basis, despite it being one of the university’s best fields and earning him a trip to space.
With MIT being an almost two-day road journey from Pasadena, many fans were surprised that Howard could venture so far from home, as Howard’s relationship with his mother was one of the longest-running jokes in the series. However, Howard did end up returning to his hometown of Pasadena following his time at MIT where he did continue to live with his mom, only moving out when his relationship with Bernadette grew more serious.
RELATED
The Big Bang Theory: What Was In Howard’s Letter From His Father
Bernadette (Melissa Rauch)
University of California
From time to time, Bernadette dropped comments about her time in catholic school where she learned many of the principles she followed in earlier seasons, such as not telling lies. Later, she studied Microbiology at the University of California, which she followed up with a Ph.D. while working at ZanGen, a big pharmaceutical company.
Bernadette’s personality evolved a lot from the time she was introduced in season 3. At first, she was a sweet girl who was uncomfortable telling lies and couldn’t even make fun of people. She attributed these parts of her character to her time in catholic school where she said, “they kind of whup that out of you“, in the episode “The Wildebeest Implementation”. Later, she became more liberal by mocking people and telling lies as it was almost as if having such a high-paying job gave her the confidence to let out her meaner side.
Amy (Mayim Balick)
Harvard University
Amy got her Ph.D. in Neurobiology at Harvard University, which was a little far from her childhood home in Glendale, California. After meeting Sheldon and the others, she eventually took a job at Caltech, so the whole group was working together, except for Penny and Bernadette.
Growing up, she had a complicated relationship with her mother. From the few episodes when Mrs. Fowler made an appearance and the comments Amy made about her childhood experiences, her mother was rather overbearing and too controlling. Therefore, it makes sense that she chose to study at Harvard rather than locally, as it was an escape from her mother while also allowing her to learn something she loved at the same time.
Though academically and professionally she was closer to her male friends, she took every opportunity to bond with her female friends.
RELATED
The Big Bang Theory: 10 Things To Know About Jim Parsons & Mayim Bialik’s Friendship
Penny (Kaley Cuoco)
Penny Dropped Out Of College
Penny was important to the gang in The Big Bang Theory because she did not have the same academic background that the other main characters did. In season 2, she confessed that she’d dropped out of community college and, besides taking a few additional classes at a local college, she didn’t study any further. Sometimes, Penny felt insecure around her brainy friends, especially when they threw around science facts and jokes that went over her head.
However, she always proved to know more about the world outside of academics than the others. For a while, she worked as a waitress and took a stab at acting, but neither of those worked out. When Bernadette got Penny an interview at her company, she was nervous because her educational background — or lack thereof — made her insecure. However, thanks to Bernadette’s persistence, Penny got the job and proved to be very good at it.
Leonard (Johnny Galecki)
Princeton University
Leonard studied there given his strained relationship with his mother and her indifference to him
Leonard works at Caltech University as well, but his field of expertise is Experimental Physics. Sheldon and Leonard often argue over which of their fields was more important, with Leonard pointing out that he designs experiments to prove the hypotheses Sheldon comes up with. Sheldon normally countered that with the assertion that his hypotheses don’t need proving and that everyone should just take his word for it because he’s the smartest. This was often followed by a jab at Leonard’s alma mater, Princeton University, where he obtained his Ph.D.
Beverly, Leonard’s mother, talked about Leonard’s father cheating on her with a waitress from Princeton University Cafeteria, suggesting both of Leonard’s parents work there. Surprisingly, Leonard studied there given his strained relationship with his mother and her indifference to him, and it would have made more sense to attempt to distance himself as he did by choosing to work at Caltech. However, considering Beverly’s controlling habits over her son and the fact that she was a stickler for traditions, it wouldn’t be shocking to find that she insisted on all her children studying at the same place.
Sheldon (Jim Parsons)
California Institute Of Technology
The university is known for its strong science and engineering departments, which perfectly aligns with Sheldon’s goal to be part of great scientific advancement
Thanks to Young Sheldon, fans of The Big Bang Theory have more insight into Sheldon’s educational background than any of the other characters. He studied at Medford High School before going to East Texas Tech when he was 11, graduating summa cum laude at 14 years. Given how protective his mother was of him and how young he was at the time, it’s not surprising that he started his college education closer to home.
After that, he attended the California Institute of Technology for his doctorate before he joined Caltech, where he currently works as a Theoretical Physicist. The university is known for its strong science and engineering departments, which perfectly aligns with Sheldon’s goal to be part of great scientific advancement. He does just that alongside Amy as they two win a Nobel Prize in the final season of The Big Bang Theory.
