Degrees of excellence
UT Austin makes the grade in new ranking of country’s best graduate schools

When it comes to the country's top graduate school programs, the University of Texas at Austin is at the head of the class.
A new ranking, released March 17 by U.S. News & World Report, shows UT Austin tied for third place among public universities for the most graduate schools and specialties (48) ranked in the top 10. Only the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Michigan have more.
UT's top five graduate schools for 2021, according to U.S. News: School of Information (No. 5), Jackson School of Geosciences (No. 7), LBJ School of Public Affairs (No. 8), Steve Hicks School of Social Work (No. 8), and Cockrell School of Engineering (No. 10).
U.S. News bases its annual rankings of graduate schools on two types of data: expert opinions about program excellence, and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research, and students.
Also making the grade is UT's prestigious law school, tied for 16th in the nation, and School of Nursing, which placed No. 24.
Meanwhile, UT's McCombs School of Business' full-time MBA program claimed the No. 17 spot, up one spot from last year. The school's part-time MBA program landed at No. 7, up from No. 8 in 2019, and the executive MBA program jumped from two spots to No. 12 this year.
For all three types of MBA programs, UT Austin leads the rankings for Texas schools.