Five universities in Dallas-Fort Worth made it on the U.S. News & World Report’s list of the best graduate schools in Texas this year.
Published on April 25, U.S. News & World Report’s list of best graduate schools is an annual ranking of programs across the nation.
The study usually investigates programs ranging from fine arts to engineering, providing crucial information to prospective students looking to pursue their studies in a given field.
This year, the media outlet chose to delay the release of its ranking of law and medical schools until later in the year.
Dozens of higher education institutions, such as Yale Law School and Harvard Law School, opted out of submitting data for the U.S. News ranking this year amid several criticisms of its methodology, as The New York Times reported.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona similarly called out the ranking during a keynote speech, saying it was “time to stop worshiping at the false altar of U.S. News & World Report [in order] to focus on what truly matters — delivering value and upward mobility,” according to The New York Times.
This prompted U.S. News to return in kind with an open letter addressed to Cardona suggesting that the ranking is more relevant than ever.
“As tuition continues to skyrocket, students require reliable information to guide them in their decision-making process,” the open letter read.
The Dallas Express recently reported on the high cost of an ivy league education, which is nearing the $90,000 mark for one year due to inflation.
Yet U.S. News did report making several changes to its methodology this year in light of schools’ feedback, including emphasizing results rather than reputation and program selectivity for certain fields like business and education.
Specialties in public health were also added to the ranking this year, including health policy and management, biostatistics, and epidemiology.
Here are the five DFW universities to make the list of the top-rated graduate school programs in the state, according to U.S. News.
The University of Texas at Dallas
You may have seen UT Dallas in the news lately for lighting up the city’s skyline with its art students’ nighttime display on the facade of the Omni Dallas Hotel, as The Dallas Express reported.
Yet it was UT Dallas’ Naveen Jindal School of Management that ranked high in the U.S. News report, placing No.3 in Texas behind UT Austin and Rice University’s MBAs. It also ranked No.27 overall in the U.S., with its project management program earning No.8 on the national list.
UT Dallas tied for No.2 with the University of Iowa among audiology graduate programs nationwide, surpassed only by Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University. Its speech-language pathology program also made it to No.10 nationally, tied with Boston University.
The Jonsson School of Engineering also performed well, ranking No.6 in Texas and No.73 among engineering schools nationwide.
Southern Methodist University
SMU is the second-highest-ranked Dallas school on the list.
The Simmons School of Education and Human Development ranked No.3 in Texas behind UT Austin and Texas A&M, which placed at No.1 and No.2, respectively. SMU’s program also placed No.49 nationally.
Cox School of Business earned the No.4 spot among top MBA programs in Texas and No.33 nationwide.
As The Dallas Express reported, SMU’s engineering school was gifted $20 million by philanthropists Mary and Rich Templeton in March, which might affect its ranking — No.161 in the nation — next year.
University of Texas at Arlington
UT Arlington ranked No.4 in Texas for its graduate engineering program and No.69 nationally.
As The Dallas Express reported, UT Arlington recently received multimillion-dollar grants to help advance careers in biotechnology which may further boost its score next year.
Additionally, UT Arlington ranked No.5 among the best master’s programs in nursing in Texas and No.54 nationwide.
It tied with Baylor for having the state’s third-best social work graduate programs and shares the No.51 spot with the Waco-based university on the national list.
University of North Texas
UNT also figured high in the U.S. News rankings.
Ranked No.6 in Texas and No.99 nationally, UNT in Denton has a highly regarded graduate program in education.
Ryan College of Business also performed well, ranking No.9 in Texas and No.95 nationally. Its part-time MBA ranked No.68 nationwide.
The university has a highly-regarded library and information studies program that is No.2 in Texas. It also ranked No.20 in the country, with its health librarianship program tying Philadelphia’s Drexel University at No.6.
Additionally, UNT’s public affairs department ranked No.4 in Texas. It also landed No.8 and No.10 in the national rankings for its programs in local government management and in homeland security and emergency administration, respectively.
Texas Christian University
TCU is not just known for its football!
The Fort Worth-based institution had strong showings thanks to its MBA program at the Neeley School of Business, which placed No.50 nationally and No.6 in Texas.
TCU’s graduate education school ranked No.8 in Texas and No.125 nationwide.
Its doctorate nursing program ranked No.43 in the nation, tied with the University of Central Florida.