U.S. News Ranks UMD’s Online Engineering, Business Grad Programs Among Nation’s Best

Online graduate engineering and business programs from the University of Maryland earned high rankings from U.S. News & World Report in its 2025 rankings released on Tuesday.

UMD’s online Master of Engineering program came in at No. 9 in the nation, while the online MBA placed No. 14, its ninth consecutive year in the top 15. The university also ranked No. 17 in Best Online Master's in Engineering Programs for Veterans. The rankings are based on factors including student engagement, faculty credentials, peer reputation, and the quality of student services and technology.

“Online programs play a vital role in making engineering careers more accessible for anyone with the passion to pursue them,” said A. James Clark School of Engineering Dean Samuel Graham, Jr. “With world-class programs led by exceptional instructors, the Clark School is positioned to help those students become the engineers who are reshaping our society.”

The Clark School’s online programs, which were first ranked in the top 10 in 2024, are offered through Maryland Applied Graduate Engineering and include bioengineering, cloud engineering, cybersecurity, embedded systems, energy systems engineering, fire protection engineering, project management, reliability engineering, robotics, software engineering and systems engineering. Graduate certificates are also available in all of these areas, as well as in Hypersonics.

The engineering and business programs address the demands of the global marketplace and allow working professionals to earn a master’s degree while balancing careers and personal commitments.

UMD’s Robert H. Smith School of Business also placed in the top 10 in subcategories for MBA in marketing at No. 6, and MBA in general management at No. 7, No. 12 MBA for veterans and No. 17 MBA in finance. The school also offers two online STEM master’s programs, an online master’s in business analytics and online master’s in management studies.

"The Smith School is committed to the continuing excellence of our online programs. The school is fully running all aspects of these programs with the goal of delivering an exceptional student experience,” said Smith School Dean Prabhudev Konana. “As we focus on the business impact of AI and developing technologies, our online programs make critical skills more widely available so students can successfully navigate technological advancement in business and society."