UW–Madison graduate programs ranked highly by U.S. News

MADISON – University of Wisconsin–Madison graduate programs are once again ranked among the nation’s best in a wide variety of fields and specialties, in the 2025 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools.”

The School of Education was ranked first in the nation for the second year in a row.  Other highlights include first place rankings in curriculum and instruction, educational psychology and rehabilitation counseling; a ranking of third in nuclear engineering, elementary teacher education and speech-language pathology; fourth in educational administration and supervision, education policy and secondary teacher education; and fifth in veterinary medicine.

“Our graduate programs provide a world-class education and research leadership across the entire academic spectrum,” says Charles Lee Isbell Jr., provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. “Taken together, they reflect a mutually reinforcing learning environment that helps prepare all our students for success.”

“Our array of high-quality graduate programs prepares students as thought leaders and innovators who excel at UW–Madison and in their future careers,” says William J. Karpus, dean of UW–Madison’s Graduate School. “I am deeply proud of the dedication and expertise of our graduate faculty and staff.”

Marcelle Haddix, dean of the School of Education, says the school’s No. 1 ranking is a reflection of the range of highly respected programs across the school and the important and outstanding work being done by faculty, staff, students and alumni.

“Although these rankings are just one measure of our school, they affirm our commitment to being a national leader in addressing the top issues facing the field of education and beyond,” says Haddix. “From our innovative program aimed at addressing Wisconsin’s teacher shortage to our academic excellence, high-quality research, and community engagement on important issues including literacy and student mental health, our school is committed to creating a better future for all.”

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said the recognition further reinforces UW–Madison’s national reputation as the place to be for outstanding scholarship in education.

“And while I’m proud of the ranking, I am even prouder of the enduring partnership among our School of Education faculty, staff, students, alumni and leaders who share a commitment to excellence and innovation,” Mnookin says. “Their work in teaching, research, and public service will continue to change lives across Wisconsin and the nation.”

U.S. News does not rank all programs each year. View the most recent graduate program rankings for each department here and last year’s story.

The UW–Madison programs ranked this year, including ranked specialties, are:

Audiology: 14th overall (four-way tie), listed as the University of Wisconsin AuD Consortium (Madison & Stevens Point).

Business: 40th overall for the full-time MBA program (two-way tie) and 29th in part-time MBA programs (two-way tie). Ranked specialties include 6th in real estate, 33rd in management (four-way tie), and 34th in marketing.

Clinical Psychology: 14th overall (nine-way tie).

Computer Science: 13th overall (three-way tie). Ranked specialties include 12th in programming language,12th in systems, 20th in theory, and 24th in artificial intelligence (two-way tie).

Economics: 15th overall (four-way tie).

Education: 1st overall. Ranked specialties include 1st in curriculum and instruction (two-way tie), 1st in educational psychology, 3rd in elementary teacher education, 4th in educational administration and supervision (three-way tie), 4th in education policy, 4th in secondary teacher education, 6th in special education (two-way tie), 6th in student counseling (three-way tie), and 11th in higher education administration.

Engineering: 27th overall (four-way tie). Ranked specialties include 3rd in nuclear engineering (three-way tie), 7th in industrial/manufacturing/systems engineering (three-way tie), 12th in chemical engineering (two-way tie), 15th in biological/agricultural engineering (three-way tie), 15th in computer engineering (two-way tie), 15th in electrical/electronic/communications engineering (three-way tie), 17th in civil engineering (three-way tie), 17th in mechanical engineering (five-way tie), 18th in materials engineering (three-way tie), 21st in environmental/environmental health engineering (two-way tie), and 24th in biomedical/bioengineering (four-way tie).

English:  21st overall (five-way tie). U.S. News did not release specialty rankings for English this year.

History: 13th overall (six-way tie).

Law: 28th overall (three-way tie). Ranked specialties include 7th in law schools with most grads in public interest law, 23rd in constitutional law (three-way tie), 34th in criminal law (six-way tie), 34th in legal writing (ten-way tie), 35th in business/corporate law (six-way tie), 35th in contracts/commercial law (nine-way tie), 37th in international law (four-way tie), 38th in environmental law (six-way tie), 41st in tax law (nine-way tie), 43rd in clinical training (ten-way tie), 69th in health care law (seven-way tie), 72nd in dispute resolution (fourteen-way tie), 73rd in intellectual property (eight-way tie), and 126th in trial advocacy (11-way tie).

Library and Information Studies: 11^th overall.

Medicine: Tier 2 for Overall: Research and Tier 2 for Overall: Primary Care. Ranked specialties include 14th in most graduates practicing in rural areas, 54th in most graduates practicing in primary care (two-way tie), and 64th in most graduates practicing in medically underserved areas.

Nursing: 64th overall among schools offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice (four-way tie).

Occupational Therapy: 9th overall (six-way tie).

Physician Assistant: 26th overall (nine-way tie).

Physical Therapy: 33rd overall (four-way tie).

Political Science: 15th overall (three-way tie).

Psychology: 8th overall (six-way tie).

Public Affairs: 21st overall (six-way tie). Ranked specialties include 5th in social policy and 17th in public policy analysis (two-way tie).

Public Health: 27th overall (fifteen-way tie). Ranked specialties include 16th in biostatistics (two-way tie).

Rehabilitation Counseling: 1st overall.

Sociology:  9th overall (two-way tie).

Speech-Language Pathology: 3rd overall (two-way tie).

Veterinary Medicine: 5th overall (five-way tie).