Ohio State graduate programs rank among nation’s best

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Ohio State graduate programs rank among nation's best

2026 U.S. News report signals depth and breadth of academic excellence across university offerings

Graduate and professional programs at The Ohio State University were recognized for reputational and academic excellence in the new 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schoolsedition released today.

More than 25 degrees and specialty programs from the university's 15 colleges ranked in the top 10 in the nation and among public universities in the latest graduate school survey. A total of 60 programs ranked in the top 25.

"The new graduate and professional rankings highlight academic excellence across Ohio State's 15 colleges," said Trevor Brown, interim executive vice president and provost. "Rankings are the trailing indicators of the hard work that goes into creating academic excellence in our colleges and departments. It's great to see external recognition of the education opportunities we create for our students and the groundbreaking research our faculty and research staff do to improve our understanding of our community and the world around us."

U.S. News' rankings of graduate and professional programs cover just a small portion of the programs offered at Ohio State, and not all programs are ranked each year. Ohio State enrolls more than 14,000 graduate and professional students in 102 doctoral and 127 master's programs.

The College of Arts and Sciencesmaintains a strong national academic profile, with audiology ranked in the top 10 (6th among publics) and speech & hearing in the top 20 (16th among publics). Chemistry and physics are both top 25 programs, while mathematics, fine arts, biological sciences and statistics all rank within the top 35 nationally and within the top 20 among public institutions.

The Working Professional MBA (WPMBA) at Fisher College of Businesscontinued to be recognized as one of the top part-time programs in the nation. The WPMBA ranked 8th overall and 5th among public institutions in the 2026 rankings.

The College of Education and Human Ecologymoved up in overall rankings and is now 26th in the nation, tied with five other institutions for that spot, and 18th among public universities. In specialty graduate program rankings, the college again has seven programs ranked in the top 10, including student counseling (4), higher education administration (6), educational administration (7), secondary education (8), curriculum and instruction (8), elementary education (9) and educational psychology (9).

The College of Engineering's graduate program ranked 28th overall, 14th among public universities and, once again, first in Ohio. Ten of its programs placed in the top 30 of their respective specialty categories, including five in the top 20: agricultural (10), nuclear (15), materials (18), industrial (18) and aerospace (19).

The Moritz College of Lawremains highly ranked, placing 30th overall out of 194 accredited law schools and 11th among all public law schools, marking its fifth consecutive year in the top 30 and its third straight year with the No. 1-ranked dispute resolution program. In addition, Moritz substantially increased its first-time bar pass rate, enrolled the highest credentialed class in the college's history with its lowest acceptance rate to date, and received the highest lawyer-and-judge assessment score in its history.

U.S. News & World Report uses a four-tier system for its Best Medical Schools ratings, with the highest-performing medical schools in Tier 1. The College of Medicine was once again nationally recognized by the publication, earning a Tier 1 designation for Best Medical Schools: Research, and placing among the nation's top 16 medical schools for research. The college's School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciencesreaffirms its place among the nation's best graduate schools, with its clinical doctorate programs ranked No. 4 in physical therapy and No. 13 in occupational therapy.

The College of Nursing once again earns national recognition with its traditional master's and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs among the best in the nation. Ohio State's traditional Master of Science in Nursing degree is ranked No. 3 (tied) nationally. The college's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is ranked No. 15 in the nation.

The College of Pharmacymaintained its No. 4 national ranking, extending its decade-long presence in the top 10. It remains the highest-ranked pharmacy school in Ohio - public or private - and the only one in the state ranked among the top 35.

The John Glenn College of Public Affairs rose to 14th from 16th, marking the college's 12th year within the top 10% of public affairs graduate professional degree programs on the list. Placing first among Ohio universities and 9th among the nation's public universities, the college was also ranked in six specialty areas: public management and leadership (6), nonprofit management (11), local government (18), social policy (19), public policy analysis (26) and public finance (28).

The College of Public Health ranks first in Ohio, 26th nationally and 16th among public institutions. Its Master of Health Administration program maintains its No. 5 position nationwide, continuing a decade-long presence in the top 10. The college also earned strong specialty rankings in biostatistics (23), epidemiology (21) and health policy and management (22).

The College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio's only veterinary medicine college, is ranked 9th in the country out of 33 U.S. veterinary schools accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education. A perennial top-10-ranked veterinary college for more than two decades, the College of Veterinary Medicine is known for its world-renowned history and tradition of excellence and innovation in education, research, outreach and patient care.

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