Excellence Recognized

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.

In the 2020 U.S. News list of “Best Graduate Schools,” UC Santa Barbara’s materials program is ranked No. 1 among public institutions and No. 3 overall. The spots above UC Santa Barbara are held by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University, both private research institutions.

In addition, the chemical engineering program in UC Santa Barbara’s College of Engineering was ranked No. 10 overall and No. 6 among public universities. The College of Engineering was ranked No. 13 among public universities.

“We’re excited to see the UCSB College of Engineering’s strong showing in the 2020 U.S. News & World Report rankings of the nation’s top engineering graduate schools,” said Dean Rod Alferness. “Our high rankings demonstrate the quality and the impact of the research conducted here, and our faculty members' dedication to mentoring , which enables our graduates to become valued and visionary professionals in their fields.”

U.S. News does not compile rankings in all fields every year and this year did not update those for graduate programs in the biological and physical sciences, including chemistry; mathematics; physics and statistics. Nor did the magazine update the rankings for graduate programs in the social sciences and humanities.

In addition to the current graduate program rankings, the magazine’s 2019 listing of the “Top 30 Public National Universities” places UC Santa Barbara at No. 5. Among the “Best National Universities,” which includes both public and private institutions, UC Santa Barbara came in at No. 30.

The U.S. News rankings are based on a weighted average of various measures, some specific to the particular program. The rankings generally include an 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 2020 edition of its America’s Best Graduate Schools, as well as on the magazine’s website at http://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools.