Best Graduate Schools
Rankings, data and advice to help you connect your education to your dream career.
Graduate School Advice
Applying to Graduate School
Paying for Graduate School
About the GRE
Studying at a U.S. Graduate School
Considering graduate school.
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Graduate School Rankings
Best Business Schools
Earning an MBA or another master's degree in business can help prospective students advance their careers.
- # 1 Stanford University
- # 1 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
- # 3 Northwestern University (Kellogg)
- # 3 University of Chicago (Booth)
Programs & Specialties
- Entrepreneurship
- Executive MBA
Best Law Schools
The first step for prospective lawyers is to find a school that can give them a top-notch legal education.
- # 1 Yale University
- # 3 University of Chicago
- Environmental Law
- Intellectual Property Law
- Part-time Law
- Trial Advocacy
Best Medical Schools: Research
Students who dream of donning a white coat can explore which schools are best for primary care and research.
- Tier 1 Baylor College of Medicine
- Tier 1 Case Western Reserve University
- Tier 1 Emory University
Engineering
Best engineering schools.
Engineers can build on their skills with advanced degrees in a wide range of specialties.
- # 1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- # 2 Stanford University
- # 3 University of California, Berkeley
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Environmental / Environmental Health Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Best Nursing Schools: Master's
Nurses are increasingly encouraged to earn a graduate degree to enhance their knowledge of patient care.
- # 1 Emory University (Woodruff)
- # 1 Johns Hopkins University
- # 3 Duke University
- Master's Nurse Practitioner: Family
- Master's Nursing Administration
Best Education Schools
Educators may find it necessary to earn a graduate degree to meet their career goals.
- # 1 Teachers College, Columbia University
- # 1 University of Wisconsin--Madison
- # 3 University of California--Los Angeles
- # 3 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Elementary Teacher Education
- Higher Education Administration
- Secondary Teacher Education
- Special Education
U.S. News Grad Compass
Unlock our comprehensive data, rankings and interactive tools to help you choose the right graduate program.
Expanded Profiles
Access expanded data for business, engineering, education, medical, and nursing programs.
Test Scores
What test scores do you need to get into your dream school? Receive all MCAT, GMAT, and GRE data.
Financial Aid
Find out the average grants, scholarships and student debt for business, and medical schools.
More Graduate School Rankings
- Graphic Design
- Painting / Drawing
- Photography
Public Affairs
- Environmental Policy and Management
- Health Policy and Management
- Information and Technology Management
- Nonprofit Management
- Clinical Psychology
- Health Care Management
- Occupational Therapy
- Biological Sciences
- Biostatistics
- Computer Science
Library and Information Studies
- Archives and Preservation
- Digital Librarianship
- Information Systems
- Services for Children and Youth
Social Sciences and Humanities
- Criminology
Featured Advice
Is Graduate School Worth the Cost?
Find B-Schools That Lead to Good Jobs
How to Get Into a Top Law School
Engineering Graduate Degree Jobs
Preparing and applying for graduate school.
If you’re interested in a profession that requires graduate school , such as law or medicine, it’s important to ensure that you’re committed to that career path before investing time, money and effort into a graduate education. U.S. News & World Report offers guidance to prospective students on how to decide whether to attend grad school and how to identify the correct type of program. The Best Graduate Schools rankings provide data that you can use to discover schools that match your preferences.
Aspiring business executives, for example, can explore the Best Business Schools rankings, future lawyers can refer to the Best Law Schools rankings and medical school hopefuls can consult the Best Medical Schools rankings. Meanwhile, individuals who plan to pursue graduate engineering degrees can check out the Best Engineering Schools rankings, and those who wish to obtain an education-related graduate credential may want to look at the Best Education Schools rankings. People who intend to become advanced practice registered nurses with graduate-level training in nursing can examine the Best Nursing Schools rankings.
U.S. News also offers rankings of graduate schools within the following disciplines:
- Library and information studies
- Social sciences and the humanities
- Public affairs
Each of these rankings lists includes links to school profile pages where you can find details about the academic institutions. Website users who purchase a subscription to U.S. News Grad Compass can gain access to school-specific information beyond what is displayed for free on school profile pages. Both paying and nonpaying readers have access to the U.S. News graduate school search tool that allows them to find grad schools within a specific academic discipline or geographic region.
In addition to its rankings database, U.S. News also offers an abundance of advice to prospective graduate students. Expert tips cover topics such as deciding where to apply and how to assemble a compelling application, including ways to identify a person who can write a persuasive letter of recommendation for graduate school and techniques that can be used to craft an eloquent personal statement. Plus, U.S. News offers insight into what factors matter most to graduate school admissions officers and answers common questions about the admissions process, such as how much grad schools care about where you went to college and how to prepare for admissions interviews.
In addition, U.S. News provides advice on how to prepare for graduate school entrance exams such as the GRE , tips for winning graduate school scholarships and other strategies to pay for graduate school . U.S. News even provides guidelines to applicants who have been admitted to multiple grad programs on how they should choose among those options. All of this advice content, plus the rankings and the grad school directory, can serve as valuable resources for individuals who dream of attending graduate school.
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