U.S. News Ranks UMD Graduate Programs Highly

Numerous University of Maryland programs garnered accolades in U.S. News & World Report’s 2023-24 Best Graduate Schools lists released today, with 53 top-25 rankings in overall and specialty categories.

Combined with the previous university-wide and 17 undergraduate program rankings in U.S. News’ 2022-23 Best Colleges, UMD has 70 schools, colleges, programs and specialties on the publication’s top 25 lists, which are widely used by prospective students when considering where to apply to school.

“At the University of Maryland, we are committed to providing our graduate students with a world-class advanced education, opportunities for research and top-ranked professional programs,” said President Darryll J. Pines. “The rankings announced today are a testament to the exceptional work of our faculty, staff and students, who exude excellence and drive our university fearlessly forward."

The rankings are based on statistical surveys of more than 2,200 programs and reputation surveys sent to nearly 19,000 academics and professionals, conducted in fall 2022 and early 2023. U.S. News said this year that it placed a greater emphasis this year on outcomes, recognizing that students’ ultimate goal in attending graduate school is likely to become a practicing professional.

The magazine each year ranks graduate programs in education, engineering, business (MBA), law, medicine and nursing, along with a rotating selection of specialty schools and programs.

In terms of overall placement, the A. James Clark School of Engineering was No. 19 and the School of Public Policy was No. 25, rising 10 places among public affairs schools since last year. The College of Education is ranked No. 27, moving up in nearly every program, while the School of Public Health was ranked No. 28.

For specific programs, the highlights this year include:

• The Robert H. Smith School of Business’ information systems program at No. 11 and part-time MBA at No. 21 (a jump from No. 25 last year);
• The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at No. 17 for computer science (No. 15 for artificial intelligence, No. 20 for programming language, No. 22 for computer science systems), No. 17 for physics (No. 6 for atomic/molecular/optical physics, No. 9 for quantum physics and No. 17 for condensed matter physics) and a six-spot rise to No. 20 for mathematics (No. 15 for applied mathematics and No. 24 for mathematical analysis);
• The College of Education’s counseling and personnel services program—a joint program with BSOS’ Department of Psychology—at No. 1, education psychology at No. 6, higher education administration at No. 11, special education at No. 11, elementary education at No. 14, curriculum and instruction at No. 17, education policy at No. 17, secondary teacher education at No. 17, and education administration and supervision at No. 24;
• The Clark School’s aerospace engineering program at No. 15, computer engineering at No. 16, electrical/electronic/communication engineering at No. 16, mechanical engineering at No. 17 and materials engineering at No. 24;
• The School of Public Policy’s homeland/national security program at No. 4 and public finance and budgeting at No. 14; and
• The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine program (a partnership between UMD and Virginia Tech), ranked No. 19.

Since U.S. News doesn’t rank all graduate programs annually, other current honors for UMD from previous editions include:

• The College of Arts and Humanities’ program in American literature before 1865 at No. 12 in 2022;
• The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences’ criminology at No. 1 in 2022, audiology program at No. 10 in 2021, sociology of population at No. 14 in 2022, speech-language pathology at No. 16 in 2021, economics at No. 22 in 2023 and sociology at No. 24 in 2022;
• The Smith School was ranked No. 12 overall for online MBA programs earlier in 2023, in addition to online marketing at No. 6, online MBA business analytics program at No. 8; online MBA programs for veterans at No. 10 and online general management at No. 11; online masters in business programs (excluding MBA) at No. 16;
• The College of Information Studies was ranked overall No. 4 in 2022, in addition to services for children and youth at No. 2, information systems at No. 5, school library media at No. 5, archives and preservation at No. 6 and digital librarianship at No. 8; and
• The Clark School was overall No. 19 for online graduate engineering programs earlier in 2023, with online electrical engineering at No. 13 and online engineering programs for veterans at No. 25.