Graduate and Professional Programs Perform Well in U.S. News Rankings

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas graduate and professional programs performed well in the rankings of the 2018 edition of U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools. The rankings for College of Education and Health Professions, the College of Engineering and the School of Law increased in their respective categories.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the College of Education and Health Professions debuted on the U.S. News list at No. 52 among public institutions. The University of Arkansas began offering the degree in 2013.

In addition to the Doctor of Nursing Practice ranking, the Master of Science in Nursing graduate degree program received a notable placement on the list as well. The program is ranked No. 78 among all public universities.

As a whole, U.S. News ranked the College of Education and Health Professions graduate programs as the No. 50 school of education among public institutions. That’s a jump of 20 places from last year’s list.

“Our college serves the public in two very important areas – education and health,” said Michael Miller, dean of the college. “We are pleased to see that the improvements we are making in the way we prepare professionals in these fields also reflect favorably on us in the U.S. News rankings. Our top priority is to serve our students well, and a good showing in the rankings is an added benefit.”

The College of Engineering moved up eight places in the rankings, to No. 104 from No. 112 in the 2017 rankings. Among engineering programs at public institutions, the college is ranked at No. 63, an increase of seven spots from last year.

“I am encouraged by these gains,” said John English, dean of the college. “It’s great to see that the work done by our faculty and staff to provide a quality education to our students has been recognized. In the College of Engineering, we emphasize continuous improvement, and I hope our future accomplishments will continue to be reflected in these rankings.”

The University of Arkansas School of Law ranked in the top tier of law schools for the ninth consecutive year. It is now No. 42 among public law schools and No. 77 overall, which is up four and nine spots, respectively, from the 2017 U.S. News rankings. The school also is ranked sixth in U.S. News’ list of lowest average law school debt and fifth nationally in The National Jurist and preLaw magazines’ list of the best values in legal education. 

“The dedication of students and faculty to ensure the school’s success is the real achievement here,” said Stacy Leeds, dean of the school. “We strive to provide an excellent legal education, allowing our graduates to pass the bar, be competitive in the job market and serve their community, which is reflected in our rankings.”

Program rankings are determined by such measures as quality assessment – determined by surveying officials at higher education institutions –, student selectivity, faculty resources, research activity and placement success.

U.S. News & World Report does not issue new rankings every year for all graduate programs. For example, none of the programs in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences were evaluated as part of this year’s report.