U.S. News & World Report Ranks UCSB Graduate Programs Among the Best

Chemical engineering and materials place among the top 10 in the nation

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 No. 2 in the 2015 U.S. News list of American universities, and No. 1 among public institutions. UCSB shares the number two ranking with Northwestern University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, while the top spot is held by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Both MIT and Northwestern are private research universities.

The chemical engineering program at UCSB ranks No. 8 overall, and No. 4 among public universities.

In addition, UCSB’s College of Engineering was ranked No. 19, moving up one spot from the 2014 rankings. Tied with the University of Pennsylvania, it is No. 11 among public universities.

U.S. News does not compile rankings in all fields every year, and this year did not update the rankings for graduate programs in the humanities, social sciences, and biological sciences, including chemistry, earth sciences, computer science, and physics.

“The latest rankings confirm UC Santa Barbara’s leadership role in graduate education across a wide spread of disciplines,” said Carol Genetti, dean of UCSB’s graduate division. “Our graduate programs are a great source of pride for the campus and our students are known for their extraordinary impact on their disciplines and on our broader society. I am truly gratified to see this recognized at the national level.”

“This upward trend in our rankings shows that UCSB’s impact in engineering and the sciences is recognizable on a global level,” Rod Alferness, dean of the College of Engineering, said of the college’s tick upward. “We continue to be dedicated to the success of our engineering students and faculty. Our graduate programs are becoming known as the best in the world, and students seek out the unparalleled opportunities they find at UCSB.”

The U.S. News rankings are based on a weighted average of various measures, some specific to the particular programs. 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 2015 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” as well as on the magazine’s website, http://www.usnews.com.

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