Update: New U.S. News & World Report rankings highlight Ohio State graduate programs

Editor’s note: U.S. News & World Report released the updated 2023-2024 law school and medical school rankings this morning. (May 11)

The Ohio State University’s graduate and professional programs remain among the best in their fields in the nation and the state, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2024 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools.

Several colleges reported degrees and specialty programs in the top 10 of the latest rankings. The College of Veterinary Medicine was ranked third in the nation. Education and Human Ecology had the second-ranked student counseling and personnel services program.

The Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering ranked eighth as did the College of Nursing’s Master of Science program. The College of Public Health’s Master of Health Administration was also ranked eighth.

“Ohio State’s graduate and professional programs continue their excellent showing, and these latest rankings are a testament to the value that our programs offer our dedicated students as they prepare to emerge as next-generation leaders,” said Melissa Gilliam, executive vice president and provost. “I am pleased that our university remains a destination for post-graduate education.”

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.

Below are some highlights from U.S. News’ 2024 rankings of Ohio State graduate programs, by college.

The College of Arts and Sciences has five of its natural and mathematical science programs ranked in the top 40 this year – chemistry (20), computer science (24), Earth sciences (33), mathematics (27) and physics (28). In the areas of chemistry, mathematics and physics, the following specialty areas were ranked: analytical chemistry (3), algebra, number theory and algebraic geometry (23), and condensed matter physics (17). The Department of Speech and Hearing Science administers two graduate programs that are ranked in the top 20: Doctor of Audiology (10) and Masters of Speech-Language Pathology (16).

At the Max. M. Fisher College of Business, the Working Professional MBA program was ranked 15th overall (tied for ninth among public universities), while the Full-Time MBA was ranked 20th among publics. Within its MBA program, a number of specialties garnered top-15 placements in the latest rankings. The college’s supply chain program was recognized as fifth-best overall (fourth among publics), while its productions/operations offerings were ranked ninth overall and fifth among publics. The Master of Accounting program improved two spots from previous rankings and is regarded as the 12th-best in the nation (fifth among publics), and the finance specialty was tied for ninth among public universities.

The College of Education and Human Ecology continues its strong showing at No. 25 this year. Among public universities, that places the college at No. 17 in the nation. It is first in Ohio among other ranked universities. The number of the college’s specialty graduate programs ranked in the top 10 increased for the second year in a row, rising from six in the 2023 report to seven this year. The seven programs that stand out within their disciplines are: student counseling and personnel services (2), secondary teacher education (6), elementary teacher education (7), curriculum and instruction (7), higher education administration (7), educational psychology (8) and educational administration and supervision (10).

The College of Engineering’s graduate program ranking improved from 30th to 27th (14th among all public universities). Several departments within the college also placed among the top programs in the nation. The Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering ranked eighth among its peers. Seven other engineering specialties also placed in the top 25: materials (15), nuclear (16), industrial/manufacturing (17), aerospace/aeronautical (18), electrical (23), computer science (24) and mechanical (25).

The Moritz College of Law ranked 22nd overall out of 199 accredited law schools and 8th nationally among all public law schools, increasing its ranking by eight spots over the 2023 rankings. The college’s specialty program in dispute resolution is ranked 2nd in the nation (behind only Harvard), and six other programs rank in the top 40 nationally: criminal law (15), health law (15), constitutional law (24), legal writing (32), contracts/commercial law (35) and trial advocacy (40).

A 22% growth in record research funding has moved the College of Medicine up two spots to the 28th Best Medical School – Research, and the 9th Best Public Medical School – Research. In addition, the College of Medicine is the 13th most diverse medical school, one of the highest rankings among the top 40 research schools in the country. It is the 40th best medical school in primary care, retaining the standing for best medical school in primary care in Ohio. Two medical school specialties were ranked: pediatrics (10) and surgery (16).

The College of Nursing’s campus-based Master of Science program ranked eighth (second among public institutions), and its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) ranked 11th (sixth among public institutions). This is the fifth consecutive year for the master’s and DNP to rank in the nation’s top 20. U.S. News previously ranked the college’s online master’s (2) and Bachelor of Science in Nursing (5) – as well as Ohio State’s online bachelor’s offerings, including the RN to BSN program (11) – among the premier programs of their kind in the country. Seven of the college’s master’s and DNP nurse practitioner specializations – including family, administration, leadership, adult gerontology acute care and psychiatric/mental health – also ranked among the nation’s top 10.

The John Glenn College of Public Affairs is ranked among the top 10% of public affairs graduate professional degree programs – and 19th in the country – among 269 on the list. Four specialty areas improved rankings over last year: public management and leadership (7), nonprofit management (11), public policy analysis (15) and social policy (16). The Glenn College is also ranked in two other specialty areas: local government management (21) and public finance and budgeting (26). The Glenn College is the highest among the nine public affairs programs ranked in Ohio. 

The College of Public Health continues to rank in the top 25 colleges and programs of public health at No. 22 overall and is ranked the top program in Ohio. The college’s Master of Health Administration program is in the top 10 programs in the nation, ranking eighth. The college’s epidemiology specialty was ranked 19th.

The College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio’s only veterinary medicine college, is ranked third in the country out of 33 U.S. veterinary schools accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education, advancing from fourth in the previous (2019) rankings. A perennial top-five-ranked veterinary college for nearly 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.