U.S. News & World Report released designed to help prospective students research programs across six disciplines and evaluate the potential return on their investment. The 2017 edition features information and rankings in business, law, education, engineering, medicine and nursing – as well as specialty rankings within each graduate school discipline. California has the largest concentration of top-ranked graduate school programs, followed by New York and Pennsylvania, respectively.
In the full-time MBA rankings, Harvard University is the No. 1 program in the country. The University of Chicago—Booth moves up two places to tie with Stanford University at No. 2. Among part-time MBA programs, the Haas School of Business at the University of California—Berkeley remains No. 1. The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University moves into the top 10, jumping from No. 12 to No. 6.
The top law schools remain consistent, with Yale University ranked No. 1. Harvard University and Stanford University again tie for No. 2. Georgetown University has the No. 1 part-time law program, followed by Fordham University at No. 2.
Harvard remains the No. 1 medical school for research, followed by Stanford University at No. 2. There is a three-way tie for third place among the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University and the University of California—San Francisco. New this year, U.S. News evaluated Doctor of Nursing Practice programs, ranking the University of Washington at No. 1.
“Going to graduate school is a major commitment of time and money,” said Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News. “Our rankings and advice offer guidance throughout the decision-making process to help prospective students and their families find the right fit.”
The six graduate disciplines U.S. News ranks annually are evaluated on factors such as employment rates for graduates, starting salary and standardized test scores of newly enrolled students. Because each graduate program is different, the rankings methodology varies across disciplines.
2017 Best Graduate Schools Rankings
| Best Business Schools | Best Law Schools |
| 1. Harvard University (MA) | 1. Yale University (CT) |
| 2. Stanford University (CA) | 2. Harvard University (MA) |
| 2. University of Chicago (Booth) | 2. Stanford University (CA) |
| 4. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) | 4. Columbia University (NY) |
| 5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) | 4. University of Chicago |
| 5. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL) | 6. New York University |
| 7. University of California—Berkeley (Haas) | 7. University of Pennsylvania |
| 8. Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH) | 8. University of California—Berkeley |
| 8. Yale University (CT) | 8. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor |
| 10. Columbia University (NY) | 8. University of Virginia |
| Best Engineering Schools | Best Medical Schools: Research |
| 1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 1. Harvard University (MA) |
| 2. Stanford University (CA) | 2. Stanford University (CA) |
| 3. University of California—Berkeley | 3. Johns Hopkins University (MD) |
| 4. California Institute of Technology | 3. University of California—San Francisco |
| 5. Carnegie Mellon University (PA) | 3. University of Pennsylvania (Perelman) |
| 6. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor | 6. Washington University in St. Louis |
| 7. Georgia Institute of Technology | 7. Columbia University (NY) |
| 7. University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign | 8. Duke University (NC) |
| 9. Purdue University—West Lafayette (IN) | 8. University of Washington |
| 10. University of Texas—Austin (Cockrell) | 8. Yale University (CT) |
