UT Austin Strengthens Graduate Programs Across Multiple Disciplines in U.S. News & World Report Rankings
The University of Texas at Austin continues to stand among the nation’s top institutions for graduate education, according to U.S. News & World Report’s latest release of its “Best Graduate Schools” rankings. Among all graduate disciplines, which U.S. News ranks in alternating years, UT continues to have 50 graduate colleges, schools and programs ranked in the top 10 nationally, including 13 ranked in the top 5 and three ranked No. 1.
The University continues to offer one of the strongest Computer Science graduate educations in the country, with all Computer Science programs now ranked in the top 10.
Four UT colleges and schools ranked in the top 10: the College of Education (No. 6), College of Engineering (No. 6), the Jackson School of Geosciences (No. 4), and the College of Pharmacy (No. 8).
Two specialties ranked No. 1 in the country: Information Systems and Petroleum Engineering. Overall, the University has 50 graduate schools and specialty programs ranked in the top 10 when combined with rankings not updated for 2026.
Among the highlights in this year’s rankings:
- Four Computer Science programs ranked in the top 10 this year. Artificial Intelligence moved up three spots to No. 7, Programming Language moved up one spot to No. 7, Computer Systems moved up three spots to No. 8, and Theory maintained its top 10 status at No. 9.
- Seven College of Education programs also ranked in the top 10, including Curriculum and Instruction, which moved up four spots to No. 6, and Special Education, which moved up two spots to No. 4.
- The Jackson School of Geosciences rose three spots to No. 4 nationally, with three specialty programs also ranking in the top 5: Geology at No. 2, Paleontology at No. 3, and Geophysics and Seismology at No. 5.
- Cockrell School of Engineering’s Petroleum Engineering program maintained its No. 1 ranking, a title the program has held since 2003.
- The Information Systems program at the McCombs School of Business was ranked No. 1 in the nation for the first time.
- The Clinical Psychology program at the College of Liberal Arts made the most significant increase, moving up 12 spots to No. 15.
U.S. News & World Report’s graduate rankings, which are published separately from the yearly ranking of undergraduate programs, are based on surveys of academic leaders and, for select programs, additional quantitative measures including placement test scores, student/faculty ratios, research expenditures, salary by profession, and job placement success. The publication updates some of its specialty rankings each year and republishes the most recent rankings in other areas. UT graduate schools, programs and specialties that U.S. News ranked in the top 25 are listed below.
Business – 18
- Accounting – 6
- Business Analytics – 9
- Entrepreneurship – 22
- Finance – 14*
- Information Systems – 1
- Management – 15
- Marketing – 14
- Production/Operations – 12
- Project Management – 3*
- Real Estate – 8
- Supply Chain/Logistics – 22
- Executive MBA – 12*
- Part-Time MBA – 6
Education – 6
- Counseling – 15*
- Curriculum/Instruction – 6
- Education Policy – 10
- Educational Administration/Supervision – 3
- Educational Psychology – 6
- Elementary Teacher Education – 9
- Higher Education Administration – 14
- Secondary Teacher Education – 9
- Special Education – 4
Engineering – 6
- Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering – 8
- Biomedical Engineering – 18
- Chemical Engineering – 9
- Civil Engineering – 4
- Computer Engineering – 8
- Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engineering – 12
- Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering – 7
- Industrial Manufacturing Systems – 22
- Materials Engineering – 18
- Mechanical Engineering – 16
- Petroleum Engineering – 1
Health Disciplines (other than Nursing)
- Audiology – 18
- Clinical Psychology – 15
- Pharmacy (College of Pharmacy) – 8
- Social Work (School of Social Work) – 8*
- Speech-Language Pathology – 13
Law – 16
- Business/Corporate Law – 17
- Constitutional Law – 15
- Contracts/Commercial Law – 18
- Criminal Law – 20
- Intellectual Property Law – 11
- International Law – 19
- Most Grads at Big Law Firms – 7
- Most Grads in Federal Clerkships – 7
- Tax Law – 20
- Trial Advocacy – 19
Library and Information Studies Schools (School of Information) – 6
- Archives and Preservation – 6*
- Digital Librarianship – 7*
- Information Systems – 7*
Nursing
- Master’s – 18
Public Affairs – 14
- Global Policy – 15
- Leadership – 23
- Local Government Management – 21
- Public Policy Analysis – 16
The Sciences
Biological Sciences – 41
- Ecology/Evolutionary Biology – 8*
Chemistry – 17
- Analytical – 4*
- Inorganic – 14*
- Organic – 20*
- Physical – 14*
Computer Science – 10
- Artificial Intelligence – 7
- Programming Language – 7
- Systems – 8
- Theory – 9
Earth Sciences (Jackson School of Geosciences) – 4
- Geochemistry – 13*
- Geology – 2*
- Geophysics and Seismology – 5*
- Paleontology – 3*
Mathematics – 12
- Algebra – 19*
- Analysis – 8*
- Applied Math – 7*
- Topology – 8*
Physics – 14
- Cosmology/Relativity/Gravity – 10*
- Condensed Matter – 22*
Statistics – 26
Social Sciences and Humanities
Economics – 21*
English – 17*
- American Literature After 1865 – 18*
History – 13*
- African American History – 10*
- Latin American History – 1*
- Modern U.S. History – 16*
Political Science – 18*
- American Politics – 20*
- Comparative Politics – 18*
Psychology – 14*
- Behavioral Neuroscience – 8*
- Social Psychology – 9*
Sociology – 14
- Sociology of Population – 1*
- Sex and Gender – 6*
- Social Stratification – 13*
Fine Arts (College of Fine Arts) – 34
- Sculpture – 6*
*Ranking not revised for 2024-25. Based on latest available ranking.
