New rankings highlight success of Ohio State graduate programs

Graduate and professional programs at The Ohio State University continue to rank among the best in the nation, according to the new 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools edition released today.

Several degrees and specialty programs from the university’s 15 colleges ranked in the top 10 in the latest graduate school survey.

For example, the rankings place the College of Nursing at the top of the list among public institutions for its Master of Science degree program. The traditional, in-person master’s program ranks No. 3 overall – up one spot from last year – and No. 1 among public colleges of nursing. This marks the seventh consecutive year for the MS program to rank among the nation’s top 10.

The college’s online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program – which placed No. 19 last year – vaulted to No. 9 overall and No. 5 among public institutions this year.

Graduate business programs at Fisher College of Business saw significant increases in their rankings. Fisher climbed to the No. 8 spot in the business school rankings among public colleges and universities, and to 24th overall, for its Full-Time MBA program. The Working Professional MBA program climbed to No. 8 overall and No. 5 among publics.

The dispute resolution program at the Moritz College of Law ranked No. 1 in the nation for the second year in a row. And the College of Public Health’s highly regarded Master of Health Administration program climbed this year to 5th in the U.S.

“Graduate programs at Ohio State continue to demonstrate excellent academic rigor in disciplines that are valued by students and employers alike,” said Ravi V. Bellamkonda, executive vice president and provost. “I am proud that our colleges’ faculty and staff provide our students with the highest quality graduate education through these strong programs.”

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.

Some highlights from the 2025 rankings, by college, are listed below:

In the College of Arts and Sciences, audiology was ranked 9 overall and 7 among public institutions. Political Science and sociology both ranked 18th, while speech-language pathology was placed at 21. History was ranked 22, followed by English at 26. Psychology earned a national ranking of 30 and was 14th among public institutions. Economics was also recognized, ranking 37th.

Fisher is also home to four specialties that were ranked in the top 30 nationally: supply chain (4), production/operations (12), accounting (27) and finance (28).

The College of Education and Human Ecology’s graduate program ranked 27th overall. Seven out of eight of its graduate specialty programs are now in the top 10 nationwide, with the college’s Educational Administration specialty at No. 4. The eighth specialty program, Educational Policy, ranks in the top 20 nationwide at No. 14.

The College of Engineering’s graduate program ranked 27th overall, was rated first in Ohio, and 13th among public universities. The Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering ranked 9th, while 10 other engineering specialties placed in the top 30: materials (14), nuclear (15), industrial/manufacturing (16), aerospace/aeronautical (21), electrical (23) and mechanical (24), chemical (27), civil (28), computer (28) and environmental (30).

The Moritz College of Law remains highly ranked, at 28th overall out of 195 accredited law schools and 10th among all public law schools. This is the fourth year in a row that the college has secured a spot in the top 30. Ten other programs rank in the top 50 nationally: criminal law (16), health law (17), legal writing (17), constitutional law (31), contracts and commercial law (30), business and corporate law (35), international law (41), trial advocacy (43), environmental law (44) and tax law (35). 

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 and the lowest in tier 4. For the second year in a row, the College of Medicine placed in tier 1 for Best Medical Schools: Research, making it one of the top 16 medical schools for research in the country. Ohio State is one of 35 schools in tier 2 for primary care. In the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, the clinical doctorate programs in Physical Therapy jumped to No. 4 (previously No. 8) and Occupational Therapy climbed to No. 9 in their respective fields.

The John Glenn College of Public Affairs maintained its position at 16th, marking the college’s 11th year within the top 10% of public affairs graduate professional degree programs on the list. Placing first among Ohio universities, the college was also ranked in seven specialty areas: public management and leadership (7), nonprofit management (9), local government (18), social policy (19), public policy analysis (20), urban policy (22) and public finance (25).

Public Health is ranked in the top 12% of colleges and programs of public health in the nation at 22nd and is the highest ranked public health program in Ohio. The college’s health policy and management specialty is ranked 21st.

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