March 13, 2012

U.S. News Ranks UCSB Graduate Programs Among Best

In its annual ranking of leading graduate and professional programs at American universities, U.S. News & World Report magazine has rated two of UC Santa Barbara's programs among the top 10 in the nation.

UCSB's materials program was ranked number 2 in the 2013 U.S. News list of American universities, up from number 4 in last year's rankings, and was number 1 among public universities. The UCSB materials program shares the number 2 ranking with Northwestern University, and the number one spot was held by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Both MIT and Northwestern are private research universities.

UCSB's chemical engineering program was ranked number 8, moving up one spot from the 2012 rankings, and was number 5 among public universities.

In addition, UCSB's College of Engineering was ranked number 21 overall, and number 11 among public universities.

"These rankings reflect the impact our engineering graduate programs have on the research community, and they are particularly significant given UCSB has a relatively small but selective pool of students and faculty," said Rod Alferness, dean of UCSB's College of Engineering. "Consistent top ranking of our materials department and rise in ranking of our other departments demonstrate the success of UCSB's interdisciplinary approach."

Also listed among the top graduate schools is UCSB's Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, which was ranked number 63.

The U.S. News rankings are based on a weighted average of various measures, some specific to the particular program. The rankings generally include a quality assessment by peers, with measures of faculty quality and resources, student selectivity, research activity, and several other factors.

Highlights of the graduate school rankings are included in the current issue of U.S. News & World Report, and in the 2013 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools," as well as on the magazine's Web site, http://www.usnews.com. U.S. News does not compile rankings in all fields every year, and did not update the rankings for graduate programs in the humanities, social sciences, and biological sciences, including chemistry, earth sciences, computer science, and physics this year.

About UC Santa Barbara

The University of California, Santa Barbara is a leading research institution that also provides a comprehensive liberal arts learning experience. Our academic community of faculty, students, and staff is characterized by a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration that is responsive to the needs of our multicultural and global society. All of this takes place within a living and learning environment like no other, as we draw inspiration from the beauty and resources of our extraordinary location at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.