Nine Houston-area universities are earning new national acclaim in a just-released report of the best graduate schools in the U.S. for 2026.
U.S. News & World Report annually publishes its national "Best Graduate Schools" rankings in early April, which comprehensively rank graduate programs across business, education, engineering, law, health, and many others.
New for the 2026 edition, the publication updated its rankings across 12 health disciplines — only physician assistant and social work were excluded — and "the first full refresh" of doctoral science programs since 2022. U.S. News also revived its Master's in Fine Arts rankings for the first time since 2020.
"We know a graduate degree is a major commitment,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor of Education at U.S. News. “That is why we are dedicated to methodologies that thoroughly examine a wide range of factors, from research excellence to career success. These rankings are a powerful tool for prospective students, offering clarity and confidence as they approach their most critical educational choice."
This is how the nine local schools ranked, statewide and nationally, and how they compared with last year's national ranking:
Rice University
- Brown School of Engineering – No. 3 best graduate engineering school in Texas; No. 25 nationally (up from No. 26 last year)
- Jones Graduate School of Business – No. 3 best business school in Texas; No. 29 nationally (unchanged)
Several of Rice’s doctoral science programs were among the 30 best in the country, including earth sciences (No. 20), chemistry (No. 22), biostatistics (No. 25), mathematics (No. 26), statistics (No. 27), and physics (No. 28). The Ph.D. biological sciences program tied as 55th best nationwide. Rice’s public affairs program tied for No. 107 nationally.
University of Houston
- Cullen College of Engineering – No. 5 best graduate engineering school in Texas; tied for No. 71 nationally (up from No. 72 last year)
- College of Education – No. 5 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 95 nationally (down from No. 81 last year)
- UH Law Center – No. 5 best law school in Texas; No. 54 nationally (up from No. 63 last year)
The University of Houston has the 31st best pharmacy program in the country, its speech-language pathology program tied for No. 54 nationally, and the clinical psychology program tied as 65th best in the U.S. In the doctoral sciences rankings, UH’s earth sciences program ranked No. 80 nationally, the physics program tied for No. 81, the chemistry program ranked 84th, and the mathematics program ranked No. 87. The Ph.D. biological sciences program ranked as the 104th best in the nation. UH’s public affairs program tied as 80th best nationally. The university also has the 106th best fine arts program in the nation.
University of Houston, Clear Lake
- College of Education – No. 12 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 164 nationally (up from No. 166 last year)
University of Texas Health Science Center (UT Health Houston)
- Cizik School of Nursing – No. 2 best master’s in nursing program in Texas; No. 32 nationally (up from No. 41 last year)
- McGovern Medical School – Tier 2 best research medical school in the U.S.
UT Health Houston’s public health program tied for No. 31 nationwide, and the health care management program tied for No. 47. The Cizik School of Nursing’s nurse anesthesia program tied as 49th best in the country. In the doctoral sciences rankings, the university’s biostatistics program tied as the 25th best nationwide.
University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston
- Sealy School of Medicine – Tier 2 best medical research school in the U.S.
UT Medical Branch’s occupational therapy program tied for No. 41 nationally, the physical therapy program tied for No. 57, and the university tied for the 60th best nurse anesthesia program in the U.S. The public health program tied for No. 89 nationally. In the doctoral sciences rankings, the university’s biostatistics program tied for No. 70 nationally.
Prairie View A&M University
- College of Nursing – No. 5 best master’s in nursing program in Texas; No. 104 nationally (unchanged)
South Texas College of Law Houston
- No. 7 best law school in Texas; No. 128 nationally (up from No. 138 last year)
Texas Southern University
- College of Education – No. 17 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 219 nationally (down from No. 178-195 last year)
TSU’s pharmacy program tied for No. 120 nationally.
University of Texas MD Anderson
UT MD Anderson’s doctoral biostatistics program tied as the 17th best nationally, and the doctoral biological sciences program tied for No. 50.
