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Best Graduate Schools Recognized

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The 2020 rankings for U.S. News & World Report's "Best Graduate Schools" are out. Professional university programs in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing, including specialties found in each college, receive a rank each year from U.S. News. However, other university programs are ranked every few years.

Many of our University of Utah Medical and Nursing programs now rank in the top 15 nationally among public institutions. Similar rankings for our Pharmacy and Health programs were previously published. And while there are no widely-accepted ranking systems for dental schools or health sciences libraries, our School of Dentistry and Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library are widely known for innovation and quality.

Here's how the U performed:

  • David Eccles School of Business
    • Entrepreneurship moves up seven spots, landing at No. 17
    • Full-time MBA comes in at 54th
    • Health Care Management: ranks 43rd
    • Part-time MBA leaps 16 spots from No. 60, to No. 44
  • College of Social Work comes in at 44th
  • School of Medicine
    • Medical primary care climbs five spots from 26th to No. 21
    • Medical research moves up three spots, to 38th
    • Physician Assistant ranks No. 4, up from 5th
    • Public Health comes in at No. 89
  • College of Education ranks 64th
  • College of Nursing
    • Doctor of nursing practice ranks 21st
    • Masters ranks No. 30
    • Nursing informatics ranks 6th
  • College of Engineering moves up three spots to No. 55
    • Biomedical engineering/bioengineering ranks 38th
    • Chemical engineering ranks 56th, moving up 5 spots from last year
    • Civil engineering is up two spots, coming in at No. 65
    • Computer engineering ranks 49th
    • Electrical/electronic/communications engineering ranks No. 62
    • Materials engineering lands at No. 57, jumping seven spots
    • Mechanical engineering moves up a spot, to 65th place
  • The S.J. Quinney College of Law climbs to 47th
    • Environmental law moves up one spot, to No. 8
    • Health Law ranks for the first time in its history, coming in at 36th
  • Public Affairs moves up four slots to 68th

The rankings are based on a number of factors including expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a university's students, faculty and research.

The rankings will also be featured in the "Best Business Schools 2020" guidebook.

See the full list of rankings

The following rankings were not updated this year. The previous ranking stands:

  • College of Engineering
    • Computer Science ranks 43rd
  • College of Fine Arts ranks 131st
  • College of Health
    • Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders (Audiology) ranks 48th
    • Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders (Speech Language Pathology) lands at 30th
    • Division of Occupational Therapy comes in at No. 44
    • Physical Therapy ranks 20th
  • College of Mines and Earth Sciences
    • Earth Sciences moves up one spot from 2014 rankings into 41st
  • College of Nursing
    • Midwifery comes in at No. 9
  • College of Pharmacy ranks No. 17
  • College of Science
    • Algebra/Number Theory/Algebraic Geometry ranks 12th
    • Biology ranks 62nd
    • Chemistry rises two spots from 2014 rankings to land at No. 32
    • Mathematics ranks 34th
    • Organic Chemistry ranks 18th
    • Physics, last ranked in 2014, jumps four sports from No. 65 to No. 61
  • Social Sciences & Humanities
    • Department of Economics ranks 83rd
    • Department of History ranks No. 98
    • Department of Psychology ranks 75th
    • Department of Sociology lands at 71st place
    • English Department lands at No. 60
    • Political Science Department comes in at 89th