UB graduate programs again ranked among nation’s best by U.S. News

BUFFALO, N.Y — Several University at Buffalo graduate schools and programs have been cited among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report in its 2021 ranking of “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” released today.

UB’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, climbing to No. 14, is now ranked among the top 15 schools of pharmacy in the nation.

Rising to No. 35, the School of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program continues to be rated among the nation’s best programs of its type. The Master’s in Nursing Leadership and Health Care Systems Program is also top-rated, moving up 36 places to No. 57.

"It’s gratifying to see this recognition of the excellence of our pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences programs by our peers. This results from the outstanding contributions of our faculty, staff and students, as well as our many partners at UB, our clinical sites and in the community," said James O’Donnell, professor and dean, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

"I look forward to many future accomplishments in research, education, clinical practice and community outreach.”

“The School of Nursing’s rise in the rankings is a reflection of our commitment to deliver high-quality, innovative nursing programs that prepare our students to lead and to help fulfill the critical need for primary care providers," said Marsha Lewis, professor and dean of the School of Nursing.

The School of Management rose to its highest national ranking ever, No. 60, up six places from last year and 21 places over the past four years. Among public business schools, the school is ranked No. 32.

“Our steady rise in this ranking is a strong reflection of the quality of our students and the caliber of our faculty,” said Paul Tesluk, professor and dean of the School of Management. “It’s also a ringing endorsement from the employers who hire our graduates, and highlights how our strong academic programs and innovative learning experiences prepare our graduates for success in the workplace.”

The Graduate School of Education is again rated by the magazine as among the nation’s best, rising 15 places to No. 73.

The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences remains top-ranked, rising four places to No. 59 on the list of the nation’s best graduate engineering programs.

In addition, graduate programs offered in aerospace (33), civil (33), electrical (58), environmental (54), industrial (25), materials (62) and mechanical engineering (50) are rated among the best in the nation.

“Our continued recognition as one of the nation’s top engineering and applied sciences schools reflects our deep commitment to building a comprehensive and inclusive learning environment that supports interdisciplinary collaboration, creative thinking and experiential learning,” said Rajan Batta, interim dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

“It also reinforces the work of our world-class faculty members whose research is helping to solve society’s most pressing challenges.”

The School of Law is rated among the top 100 law schools in the nation, at No. 99.

The Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences also continues to be ranked among the top graduate medical school programs in the country and remains top-rated in research (79).

While not all graduate programs in the humanities, social sciences, sciences and health sciences were considered by U.S. News this year, several UB programs are ranked among the best in the nation.

UB’s School of Social Work, at No. 25, is rated among the nation’s top 25 social work programs.

The School of Public Health and Health Professions remains one of the top 40 schools to pursue a graduate degree in the field of public health. The school is ranked No. 37.

Other UB graduate programs ranked in previous years include nursing anesthesia (10), audiology (20), speech-language pathology (38), occupational therapy (32), English (42), clinical psychology (50), computer science (61), political science (65), sociology (67), fine arts (73), psychology (75), physical therapy (57), chemistry (79), statistics (83), earth sciences (90), economics (90), physics (91), history (91), mathematics (94) and biological sciences.

U.S. News ranks professional school programs in six major disciplines: business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing.

The Best Graduate Schools rankings in these areas are based 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.

The data for the rankings in all six disciplines comes from statistical surveys of more than 2,081 programs and from reputation surveys sent to more than 24,603 academics and professionals, conducted in fall 2019 and early 2020.