The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been named one of the nation’s best graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report, which also awarded high rankings to multiple individual programs and specialties in its 2023-2024 Best Graduate Schools report released today.
“As the state’s flagship R1 public university, graduate education is integral to all aspects of our mission. From training tomorrow’s teachers and researchers to producing scholarship, research and creative activity that make life and lives better, our graduate programs produce the thought leaders and innovators that our society needs,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick. “The rankings are well-deserved recognition for the excellent work of our graduate students and their mentoring faculty.”
Supply chain top three among publics
Graduate programs in the Haslam College of Business rank 28th among public universities and 55th nationally. For a second consecutive year, the college’s supply chain graduate programs sustain top rankings, at 4th nationally and 3rd among public universities. This is the ninth consecutive year that UT’s supply chain graduate programs have placed in the top 10. The college’s business analytics graduate programs rank 14th among public institutions and 38th nationally.
Engineering graduate programs highly ranked
Graduate programs in the Tickle College of Engineering rank 31st among public institutions and 55th nationally. The college’s nuclear engineering programs rank 6th among public institutions and 7th nationally. This is the ninth year in a row that UT’s nuclear engineering graduate programs have ranked in the top 10 both nationally and among public institutions.
Other UT engineering specialties are included in the rankings among public institutions:
- Biosystems engineering (in the Herbert College of Agriculture) ranks 17th.
- Materials science ranks 26th.
- Aerospace engineering ranks 27th.
- Electrical engineering ranks 29th.
- Industrial and manufacturing systems ranks 31st.
- Computer engineering ranks 34th.
- Civil engineering ranks 36th.
- Mechanical engineering ranks 36th.
- Chemical engineering ranks 41st.
- Computer science ranks 42nd.
- Biomedical engineering ranks 58th.
Law, nursing, veterinary medicine, arts and sciences, and education graduate programs excel
Graduate programs in other UT colleges and specialties rank among the top nationally and have risen to be notably higher among public institutions. Top placements among public institutions include the following:
- The College of Law ranks 24th: legal clinical programs rank 11th, business-corporate law ranks 13th, and legal writing ranks 22nd.
- The College of Nursing doctoral program ranks 28th, rising 11 spots since last year.
- The College of Veterinary Medicine ranks 18th.
- The College of Arts and Sciences: physics ranks 33rd and mathematics ranks 40th
- The College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences ranks 45th.
“This year’s high rankings from many varied disciplines reflect something we already know: UT is an institution for those desiring a high level of academic achievement that they can leverage to have a positive impact in their local and global communities,” said Dixie Thompson, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School.
What college leaders are saying
John Bell, head of the Department of Supply Chain Management: “Our students benefit from extensive experiential training and industry connections that provide multiple opportunities for networking, all of which put them in a position to contribute on the job from day one. The supply chain management faculty and staff make this possible by providing an outstanding supply chain learning experience.”
Amy Cathey, associate dean for graduate and executive education in the Haslam College of Business: “Graduate students tell us that Haslam is a special place. They have opportunities to work with faculty who are closely connected to industry and to participate in applied learning experiences that engage and inspire them. For many students, their time at Haslam is life changing. That’s the accolade that means the most.”
Mike Galbreth, head of the Department of Business Analytics and Statistics: “We are excited that our business analytics graduate coursework is being acknowledged in this manner. In all our courses, we strive to combine rigorous applied analytical methods with an emphasis on communication, soft skills and solving real-world problems. This ranking speaks to the dedication of our faculty, staff and industry partners to developing future analytics leaders.”
Matthew Mench, dean of the Tickle College of Engineering: “I am proud to see the enormous progress we have made translate into a big leap in our USNWR rankings. In the past two years we have set records in research expenditures, undergraduate and graduate enrollment, diversity and translation of our ideas into patents, and added over 275,000 square feet of state-of-the-art engineering space. Along the way, faculty have been awarded many international honors including a Turing Award and another membership in the National Academy of Engineering. Departmentally, three-fourths of our departments also saw improvements in their rank, which shows the depth of our excellence and forward progress in meeting our education and research missions. The Tickle College of Engineering is a world-class engineering program with tremendous forward momentum, and I am glad to see this is reflected in the new rankings.”
Victoria P. Niederhauser, dean of the College of Nursing: “We are thrilled to be recognized among the nation’s top nursing programs. Making the U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate School rankings is a testament to the exceptional quality of education and dedication of our faculty, staff and students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing.”
Jim Thompson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine: “We look forward to continuing to build on our strengths while training future veterinarians, serving as a resource to practitioners, providing quality compassionate care to our patients, and making discoveries that impact both animal and human health.”
David White, interim dean of the Herbert College of Agriculture: “The Herbert College of Agriculture is dedicated to educating the agriculture and natural resources leaders of tomorrow. The biosystems engineering program within the college provides an exceptional blending of science and engineering, a strong emphasis on design throughout the curriculum, and a focused application of engineering principles. We prepare students to address current and future complex challenges associated with food production, agriculture and natural resource stewardship. The rise in this year’s rankings reflects the continued excellence of our faculty and staff in creating the best possible environment for student learning while ensuring we fulfill our land-grant mission to increase the well-being of our state, nation and planet.”
About U.S. News and World Report rankings
Designed for prospective students looking to further their education beyond college, the Best Graduate Schools rankings evaluate programs in a variety of disciplines, including business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing.
The Best Graduate Schools rankings in these areas are based on two types of data: expert opinion about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students.
The data for the rankings in all six disciplines came from statistical surveys of 2,214 programs and from reputation surveys sent to approximately 6,300 academics and 12,690 professionals, conducted in fall 2022 and early 2023.
The 2023-2024 Best Medical Schools and 2023-2024 Best Law Schools rankings will be released at a later date.
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CONTACT:
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)
Cindi King (865-974-0937, cking126@utk.edu)