education news
7 Dallas-Fort Worth universities earn top spots for graduate programs
North Texas universities have done it again. U.S. News and World Report has deemed seven Dallas-Fort Worth universities among the best grad schools in the state, with some departments landing among the top 100 in the country.
U.S. News publishes its annual national "Best Graduate Schools" rankings, which look at several programs including business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, and many others. For the 2024 report, the publication decided to withhold its rankings for engineering and medical schools, which will be published later this year. It also changed the methodology for ranking business schools by adding a new "salary indicator" based on a graduate's profession.
U.S. News also added new rankings for doctoral and master's programs in several medical fields for the first time in four years or more. New specialty program rankings include audiology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy, nurse midwifery, speech-language pathology, nurse anesthesia, and social work.
Without further ado, here's how the local schools ranked:
At No. 44 nationally and No. 5 in the state for its graduate business school is Fort Worth's Texas Christian University. The graduate education school ranked No. 7 in Texas, and No. 117 overall. It also has the No. 7 best nursing anesthesia program in the country.
Entering the spotlight with the second best law school in Texas, and 26th best nationally, is the Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth.
The University of Texas at Arlington earned the No. 31 spot for its master's nursing program in the national ranking, and soared into No. 2 for its statewide ranking. Its social work program earned No. 43 in the country.
University of North Texas in Denton stayed in the No. 6 spot in the state for its graduate education program, which fell to No. 107 overall in the nation. It faired similarly in the business category at No. 111 nationally, and 10th best in Texas. The public affairs department also earned some nods for its No. 5 and No. 8 ranks in homeland security and emergency management, and the local government management programs.
UNT's Denton neighbor Texas Woman's University ranked No. 81 nationally for its master's nursing program, and No. 4 in Texas. Its occupational therapy ranked No. 16 nationally, while the physical therapy program earned No. 29.
The University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Managementmoved up one spot from the 2023 report into No. 2 in Texas, but slipped from No. 27 to No. 38 overall in the nation, with its part-time MBA program ranking 13th best nationally. The university's audiology and speech-language pathology programs earned the No. 3 and No. 21 spots in the nation.
Southern Methodist University moved ahead of UT Dallas to overtake the No. 3 top graduate business school in Texas, and No. 34 overall. The university also has the third best graduate education school in the state, and 48th best nationally. The Dedman School of Law is also ranked third best in Texas, and No. 42 nationally.
"Depending on the job or field, earning a graduate degree may lead to higher earnings, career advancement and specialized skill development," wrote Sarah Wood, a U.S. News Education reporter. "But with several types of degrees and hundreds of graduate schools, it can be difficult to narrow down the options."
The full list of best graduate schools can be found on usnews.com.