Twenty-five UCF programs were ranked in the top 100 of their fields by the recently released U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools of 2019, a total gain of three programs from last year.
UCF has experienced an upward trend in the number of programs on the top 100 list. There were 18 programs ranked in 2017 , followed by 22 in 2018.
UCF’s top-ranked program this year is Emergency Management and Homeland Security, which is ranked No. 6 in the nation. The ranking category is new this year for the magazine. The university’s program is in the School of Public Administration under the direction of Claire Connolly Knox.
The next highest UCF rankings were Counselor of Education at No. 10, and Nonprofit Management and Optics & Photonics, both at No. 12.
Other programs this year ranked in the top 50 were: Public Management and Leadership (23), Criminology (26), Public Budgeting and Finance (29), Public Policy Analysis (34), Health Administration (38), Industrial Engineering (39), Public Administration (44), and Materials Engineering (50).
The biggest point-gain improvement in the rankings was Physics, which moved up 24 points to No. 61. Materials Engineering jumped 21 points, and Public Administration advanced 19 points.
Other programs in the top 100 were: Computer Engineering (53), Communication Sciences and Disorders (53), Electrical Engineering (55), College of Engineering & Computer Science (75), Mechanical Engineering (75), Civil Engineering (76), Environmental Engineering (76), Computer Science (82), Medical Research (86), Nursing (87), Social Work (88), and College of Education & Human Performance (89).
In addition to Emergency Management and Homeland Security, there were three other programs that appeared in the top 100 for the first time: Public Finance and Budgeting, Public Management and Leadership, and Public Policy Analysis. Those are all new specialty categories in the magazine’s rankings.
U.S. News & World Report’s rankings in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing are designed for prospective students looking to continue their education and advance their careers. More than 800 institutions are reviewed based on peer and expert opinions about the quality of programs and statistical data that measures the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students.