Education, law are again among the best in grad school rankings

Several University of Oregon graduate programs are highlighted in the 2021 rankings released by U.S. News & World Report this week.

Offerings from both the UO’s College of Education and School of Law continue to be ranked among the best in the nation. The rankings this year focus on six disciplines with the greatest enrollment: education, law, medicine, nursing, engineering and business.

The College of Education climbed to the rank of No. 4 public institution on the list and ranks 11th among all schools nationwide. The college’s special education program is, once again, among the top three in the country. For the 21st year in a row, the program ranks No. 3 overall, second among public institutions and best in the Northwest.

The College of Education also ranks well for total research funds, with $46.1 million awarded to faculty members last year, placing it in the top 10 nationwide and No. 7 for public institutions.

Three specialty programs at the School of Law are once again among the best in the field. Legal writing ascended to No. 2 in the nation. The environmental and natural resources law program moved up two slots to earn the No. 6 position. And the conflict and dispute resolution program sits at No. 10 on the list. The school is also the top-ranked institution in the region.

“These rankings serve to highlight the diversity of outstanding graduate programs offered at the University of Oregon,” said Patrick Phillips, UO’s provost and senior vice president. “I’m proud of the accomplishments of our faculty and students in all of our schools and colleges. It is particularly gratifying to see the tremendous effort that the College of Education and School of Law have exerted to elevate their programs to be among the best in the country and be recognized in this fashion.”

A handful of other UO graduate programs evaluated this year also ranked well, including clinical psychology at No. 33, communication disorders at No. 38 and master of fine arts at No. 53. The magazine does not do annual rankings of many other categories that UO programs fall into.

To see a complete list, visit U.S. News & World Report’s website of the rankings.