The US News and World Report rating for top universities in the country includes a category for “national universities” that is designated for schools with graduate programs reaching to the doctorate level. Our list of the best master’s level graduate schoolsis drawn from those rankings, with some adjustments made to include schools with a wide spectrum of graduate degree options that reach beyond a particular specialty such as technology or the sciences. These schools put as much emphasis on public health and education as they do on business and the complex sciences that are driving technical innovation today. (See Online Masters Degree Rankings)
- Harvard University is the oldest and most respected university in the United States. Among its strongest graduate departments are the top ranked Harvard School of Business, the School of Education, and the public affairs program at the Kennedy School of Government. The Harvard School of Public Health has an excellent MPH program along with a Masters in Healthcare Management degree.
- Yale University has three educational divisions: the undergraduate Yale College, the graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and thirteen professional schools that include a top notch School of Management, School of Drama, the School of Engineering and Applied Science and a top-tier School of Public Health. Yale has the best known Divinity School in the nation, a department that has turned out noted scholars for generations.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology: This top technology school puts its own spin on graduate studies. The School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences offers a Masters in Science Writing. The Sloan School of Business is among the top five in the nation and the engineering program is unmatched. There are master’s degree programs in biomedical engineering and biomedical informatics, along with the school’s justly famous physics and chemistry departments.
- Stanford University has the best School of Business on the West Coast and the second best in the nation. The School of Engineering is also ranked second nationally behind MIT, with a strong program in nanoscience providing academic foundation for Silicon Valley. Stanford’s School of Education and computer science program are both ranked third in the country.
- University of Pennsylvania has one of the top graduate nursing programs in the country. The technology options include a Masters in Computer and Information Technology and a Masters in Information Science. The Center for Bioethics offers a master’s program in an important and complex field. In the public health are there is a Master of Health Policy Research degree for students interested in epidemiology and related public health research fields.
- Columbia University Teachers College is among the oldest and the best graduate programs in education in the country. The Graduate School of Business is in the top ten as is the School of Social Work. The best known graduate program in journalism is located at Columbia; the top ranked School of Arts offers an MFA in Creative Writing for students more interested in fiction than fact.
- University of Chicago Booth School of Business is ranked among the top five in the country. The Harris School of Public Policy offers a Master’s in Public Policy and a MS in Environmental Science and Policy; there are also cooperative programs with the MPP program at the University of Chile, University of Tel Aviv and Yonsei School of International Studies.
- Duke University has an excellent School of Nursing and a program in Health Policy & Management that is ranked sixth in the nation. The Fuqua School of Business is rated one of the top ten in the country. The Master’s in Medical Physics is an interdisciplinary program that involves five academic departments: radiology, radiation oncology, physics, biomedical engineering, and occupational and environmental safety. There are four academic tracks in this innovative graduate field.
- Northwestern University School of Communication offers Master of Arts degrees in Interactive Media, Screen Writing, Theater Design, Performance Studies and several other academic fields. The Kellogg School of Business has a top ten MBA program, matched by the top ten ranking for the School of Education. Northwestern has also received top national recognition for the graduate program in engineering.
- University of California/Berkeley has the third best computer science program in the country and the fourth ranked engineering program. In terms of educational diversity the graduate options at Berkeley are probably unmatched; the Graduate Division oversees 105 academic programs. The Haas School of Business is rated in the top ten, offering an MBA, a Masters in Accounting and a Master of Financial Engineering.
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Online Masters Degree Rankings
