Boston College's Carroll School of Management, Lynch School of Education and Human Development, and Connell School of Nursing saw improvements this year in the 2023 “Best Graduate Schools” rankings released March 29 by U.S. News & World Report.
The Carroll School of Management’s full-time M.B.A. program rose three places in the rankings to 41st overall, while the part-time M.B.A. program improved five places to 30th.
The Lynch School of Education rose two places in the rankings to 19th, the highest placement of any Jesuit or Catholic school of education in the United States.
The Connell School’s nursing master’s program rose 21 places in the rankings, returning to its 2021 placement of 27th, a year after it had fallen out of the top 30 due to unusually high volatility in last year’s survey.
The School of Social Work placed 11th overall this year, a slight drop from its previous 10th place ranking, but the highest overall ranking of the University’s graduate and professional schools.
BC Law School fell in this year’s survey to 37th from 29th, attributable largely to multiple ties among law schools ranked above it.
This year’s rankings also included graduate programs in the natural and social sciences, which are ranked every four years by U.S. News. Among the highlights: Economics was ranked 27th; Psychology improved two places to 51st; Chemistry was ranked 55th; Mathematics was newly ranked 59th; and Physics improved three places to 68th.
Several BC graduate programs were also cited in this year’s specialty rankings category. In the Carroll School of Management, Accounting improved six places to 12th; Finance retained its position at 13th; Business Analytics was newly ranked 21st; and Marketing placed 29th among business schools.
In addition, four Lynch School programs finished in the top 20 in specialty rankings, including: Student Counseling and Personnel Services (11th); Elementary Education (14th); Higher Education (15th); Curriculum and Instruction 19th; and Secondary Education (17th).
In the Connell School, the Family Specialties Program improved to 10th overall, and the Nursing Anesthesia Program retained its 22nd placement.
Among the graduate programs in natural and social sciences, BC had three new specialty placements including: Macroeconomics placing 18th; Algebra, Number Theory, and Algebraic Geometry placing 20th; and Organic Chemistry placing 21st.
"Even as we all recognize their limitations, the annual graduate and professional program rankings provide useful data about emerging areas of excellence at Boston College and help us make decisions about how we can continue to strengthen our offerings,” said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “Deans and department chairs are interested in the ways in which our peers around the nation assess our approach to graduate education, and pleased that our programs continue to be recognized among the very best in higher education.”
Jack Dunn | University Communications | March 2022