By The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been recognized among the nation’s best graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report, which also awarded high rankings to specialty programs in its 2024-2025 Best Graduate Schools report, released April 9.
“Graduate education is more than just an educational pathway; it’s a transformative experience that fuels innovation, fosters critical thinking and expands the frontiers of knowledge. Our graduate programs nurture tomorrow’s leaders by providing them with the experience and support to solve the world’s most complex challenges,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor John Zomchick. “This latest recognition by U.S. News & World Report is a reflection of the outstanding work being done by our graduate students and their mentoring faculty.”
Supply chain ranks in top 10 for tenth consecutive year
Full-time MBA programs in UT’s Haslam College of Business rank 22nd among public universities and 47th nationally. For a third consecutive year, the college’s supply chain graduate programs held top rankings — 4th nationally and 3rd among public universities. This is the 10th consecutive year that UT’s supply chain graduate programs have placed in the top 10 among public institutions and nationally.
Social work, nursing and law highly ranked
Graduate programs in other fields rank among the top nationally and have risen to be notably higher among public institutions. Placements among public institutions include the following:
- The College of Social Work ranks 13th
- The College of Nursing doctoral program ranks 24th
- The College of Law ranks 26th; legal clinical programs rank 8th, business-corporate law ranks 13th, health care law ranks 21st and legal writing ranks 21st
“The rankings this year provide evidence that UT has exceptional graduate programs across a wide range of disciplines,” said Dixie Thompson, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School. “These rankings are a reflection of the commitment to excellence made by our faculty, staff and students.”
What college leaders are saying
Stephen L. Mangum, dean and Stokely Foundation Leadership Chair, Haslam College of Business: “Strong corporate connections and ongoing academic research drive our content delivery and our student outcomes. Graduate students find an outstanding learning environment at Haslam, where they are immersed in the most current relevant knowledge and tools by faculty who are leaders in their disciplines. Multiple opportunities for experiential learning and professional development are focused on enabling them to be leaders in the business world upon graduation.”
Mangum on the supply chain graduate programs: “Supply chain graduate and executive education programs are some of the most popular on campus. Their presence in U.S. News’ top five indicates that the supply chain department is at the forefront of its field. Our faculty are dedicated to nurturing the strongest student outcomes through innovative yet practical course content, growing industry partnerships and pursuing relevant research. Through these efforts, they are helping businesses worldwide create more resilient and responsive supply chains.”
Lonnie T. Brown, Jr., dean and Elvin E. Overton Distinguished Professor, College of Law: “The College of Law’s continued strong U.S. News rankings are gratifying validation of the hard work of our faculty, staff and students. Our scholarly reputation, along with our long-standing commitment to public service and exceptional preparation of students to be ethical and skilled leaders within the profession, is rightfully being recognized.”
Victoria P. Niederhauser, dean of the College of Nursing: “Our rise to 24th among public universities in the U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate School rankings underscores our dedication to fostering transformative leaders in health care. This achievement reflects the collaborative efforts of our faculty, staff and students who continually strive for innovation and excellence in advancing nursing practice.”
Lori Messinger, dean of the College of Social Work: “The UT College of Social Work is a college on the rise. As a learning organization, we are consistently assessing community needs, new trends and emerging opportunities to reposition ourselves towards the future. We are seeing increased student success, alumni engagement, research impact and overall vitality of the college, all of which are reflected in our rankings and reputation among our peers.”
About the 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 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 the main six disciplines came from statistical surveys of 2,225 programs and from reputation surveys sent to approximately 5,766 academics and 10,941 professionals, conducted in fall 2023 and early 2024.
The 2024-2025 Best Medical Schools, Best Engineering Schools and Best Clinical Psychology Program 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)
