Graduate Programs in Science, Math, Computing at UT Austin Highly Ranked by U.S. News

The University of Texas at Austin continues to be among the public universities with the most top-ranked schools and academic programs in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report’s latest edition of “Best Graduate Schools,” released this morning. The university has five specialty programs ranked No. 1 and 55 graduate programs and specialties ranked among the nation’s top 10. UT Austin is one of only four public universities with 50 or more specialties ranked so highly.

The College of Natural Sciences has 11 programs and specialties ranked among the top 10, the most of any college or school at UT Austin.

“With strength in so many disciplines, UT Austin is without doubt one of the best places in the world to pursue graduate studies,” said President Jay Hartzell. “Few institutions can match our combination of excellence and breadth, and we are especially strong in some of the fastest-growing fields that draw from multiple disciplines, where scholars are tackling society’s biggest challenges, expanding the frontiers of knowledge, and making an impact.”

U.S. News & World Report’s graduate rankings, separate from the magazine’s yearly ranking of undergraduate programs where UT Austin also excels, are among the most widely regarded ratings in higher education. They are based on surveys of academic leaders and, for select programs, additional quantitative measures including placement student/faculty ratios, research expenditures and job placement success.

Several science programs and specialties were updated this year for the first time since 2018. Computer science ranks 9^th nationally, with four of its specialties in the top 10. Mathematics ranks 14^th, with three specialties receiving top-10 rankings. Chemistry had one specialty, analytical chemistry, ranked 3^rd nationally, and three other specialties ranked in the top 20. Physics ranked 15^th overall with two specialties ranked in the top 15. Biological sciences ranked 25^th, including a top-10 ranking for ecology/evolutionary biology.

The College of Natural Sciences is also home to graduate programs in human development and family sciences and in astronomy, among other areas, that are not independently ranked but that include interdisciplinary researchers who help contribute to top UT Austin rankings in areas such as sociology of population (where Texas ranked 1^st) and cosmology/relativity/gravity (ranked 7^th).

Meanwhile, for undergraduate programs, UT Austin is ranked 10^th among U.S. public universities, with top 10 specialty rankings in areas including computer science (U.S. News & World Report, 2021).

UT Austin Natural Sciences graduate school specialties, and programs with ties to Natural Sciences, ranked in the top 30 are listed below.

UT Austin Natural Sciences Graduate Programs Ranked in the Top 30 Nationally

Biological Sciences – 25

     Ecology/evolutionary biology – 8

Chemistry – 17

     Analytical – 3

     Inorganic – 16

     Organic – 18

     Physical – 15

Computer Science – 9       

     Artificial intelligence – 10

     Programming language –9

     Systems – 10

     Theory – 7

Mathematics – 14

     Analysis – 7

     Applied Math – 9

     Topology – 10

Physics – 15

      Cosmology/relativity/gravity – 7

      Elementary particles – 15

Statistics – 27

Find other rankings from across campus in the UT News post.