News releases

March 28, 2022

UW graduate and professional disciplines again place high in US News’ best graduate school rankings

The University of Washington’s graduate and professional degree programs were widely recognized as among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best Graduate School rankings released late Monday.

Dozens of UW schools and departments placed prominently in the 2023 rankings — 41 placed in the top 10, and more than 100 in the top 35.

Leading the nation, the UW School of Medicine ranked No. 1 for both primary care education and for family medicine training. Other notable achievements in the top 10 are nursing, education, social work, computer science, business, public health and public affairs.

“Meeting the challenges facing our world will require deep expertise, innovation and discovery,” UW President Ana Mari Cauce said. “I am proud to see the UW’s outstanding researchers, educators and healthcare providers recognized for all that they do to address these challenges and train the next generation of professionals and Ph.D.s whose work will help to create a healthier, more equitable and more sustainable world.”

In addition to its No. 1 position in primary care education and family medicine training, the UW School of Medicine also placed No. 2 among public institutions for research. The school maintains its position as second in the nation in federal grant funding with $966 million of federal grants in 2020.

The UW School of Nursing received the No. 1 overall ranking for a public school offering a doctor of nursing practice program, and the No. 2 position overall. The nursing schools at UW Bothell and UW Tacoma collectively tied for No. 1 among public schools that offer a master’s degree, and placed No. 5 overall.

The UW School of Social Work tied for No. 2 in the nation alongside University of Chicago and Washington University in St. Louis. This is the highest ranking the school has received since the initiation of this national survey.

Ranked second among public institutions and third overall, the UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance has maintained its top-10 ranking for the sixth consecutive year. The Evans School also ranked in the top 10 in the following areas: environmental policy, public finance and budgeting and nonprofit management.

Information about U.S. News & World Report’s methodology can be found here.

TOP 10:

Primary care medical schools: 1st

Family medicine: 1st

Law librarianship: 1st (ranked in 2017)

Environmental policy: 2nd

Library and information studies: Tied for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Digital librarianship: Tie for 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Information systems (library and information studies): 2nd (ranked in 2022)

Microbiology: Tie for 2nd (ranked in 2019)

School of Social Work (overall): Three-way tie for 2nd

Doctor of Nursing Practice (overall): Three-way tie for 2nd

Biostatistics: 3rd

Evans School of Public Policy & Governance (overall): Five-way tie for 3rd

Computer science (programming language): 4th

Computer science (artificial intelligence): Three-way tie for 5th

Library services for children and youth: Tie for 5th (ranked in 2022)

Education (secondary education): 5th

Nurse practitioner (pediatric acute care): Two-way tie for 5th

Nursing master’s (overall): 5th

Nonprofit management: 5th

Psychology (clinical): Three-way tie for 5th (2021)

Computer science (overall): Three-way tie for 6th

Education (elementary education): 6th

Pediatrics: 6th

Physics (nuclear): Two-way tie for 6th

Education (special education): Tie for 7th

Pharmacy: Six-way tie for 7th (ranked in 2021)

Statistics: Four-way tie for 7th

Geriatrics: 7th (ranked in 2018)

Education (curriculum/instruction): 8th

Nurse midwifery: Three-way tie for 8th (ranked in 2021)

Public finance and budgeting: Tie for 8th

Engineering (computer): Four-way tie for 9th

Computer science (systems): 9th

School of Medicine (overall): 9th

School of Public Health (overall): 9th

Speech-language pathology: Six-way tie for 10th (ranked in 2022)

Chemistry (analytical): Two-way tie for 10th

Education (administration): 10th

Genetics/Genomics/Bioinformatics: Six-way tie for 10th

Nurse practitioner (family): 10th

Part-time (evening) MBA: 10th

TOP 25:

Anesthesiology: 19th

Biological sciences: Two-way tie for 23rd

Business (information systems): 17th

Business (marketing): Four-way tie for 22nd

Chemistry: Five-way tie for 25th

Chemistry (inorganic): 22nd

Computer science (theory): 11th

College of Education (overall): Tie for 12th

Earth sciences: 11th

Education (psychology): 13th

Education (policy): Three-way tie for 19th

College of Engineering (overall): Tie for 24th

Engineering (aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical): Three-way tie for 17th

Engineering (biomedical/bioengineering): Five-way tie for 13th

Engineering (chemical): Four-way tie for 20th

Engineering (civil): Eight-way tie for 17th

Engineering (electrical): Six-way tie for 19th

Engineering (environmental/environmental health): Five-way tie for 21st

Engineering (industrial/manufacturing/systems): Three-way tie for 21st

Foster School of Business (overall): Three-way tie for 22nd

Geology: Three-way tie for 15th

Geophysics/seismology: 11th

Health care management: Tie for 15th (ranked in 2019)

Internal medicine: 13th

Law (dispute resolution): Five-way tie for 19th (ranked in 2022)

Local government management: Two-way tie for 18th

Mathematics (applied math): Two-way tie for 18th

Mathematics (analysis): Three-way tie for 22nd

Mathematics (topology): Five-way tie for 20th

Nurse practitioner (adult, acute care): Tie for 13th (ranked in 2019)

Nurse practitioner (psychiatric/mental health): Three-way tie for 11th (ranked in 2021)

Obstetrics and gynecology: Two-way tie for 13th

Occupational therapy: Six-way tie for 23rd (ranked in 2021)

Physics: Three-way tie for 20th

Physician assistant: 14th (ranked in 2021)

Psychology: Seven-way tie for 23rd

Public management and leadership: 11th

Public policy analysis: 14th

Radiology: Three-way tie for 16th

School library media: Tie for 11th (ranked in 2022)

Social policy: 12th

Sociology: Three-way tie for 20th (ranked in 2022)

Sociology (population): Tie for 15th (ranked in 2022)

Surgery: Two-way tie for 20th

TOP 35:

Business (accounting): Six-way tie for 28th

Business (management): Four-way tie for 26th

Business (finance): Seven-way tie for 27th

Business (entrepreneurship): Seven-way tie for 27th

Business (executive MBA): Five-way tie for 31st

Engineering (materials): Six-way tie for 27th

Engineering (mechanical): Four-way tie for 34th

English: Seven-way tie for 32nd (ranked in 2022)

History: Four-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2022)

Law (environmental): Three-way tie for 31st

Law (clinical training): Eleven-way tie for 35th

Law (criminal): Seven-way tie for 32nd

Law (intellectual property law): Four-way tie for 28th

Law (tax law): Five-way tie for 34th

Mathematics: Three-way tie for 26th

Physical therapy: Nine-way tie for 25th (ranked in 2021)

Political science: Three-way tie for 34th (ranked in 2022)

Urban policy: Two-way tie for 27th

The above rankings were those available under embargo. More schools may be listed and this story will be updated.

Tag(s): College of Education • College of Engineering • Department of Biostatistics • Department of Chemistry • Department of Physics • Department of Psychology • Department of Statistics • Evans School of Public Policy & Governance • Foster School of Business • Health Management Program • Information School • Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering • Rankings • School of Medicine • School of Nursing • School of Pharmacy • School of Public Health • School of Social Work

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