A UNLV-record 22 programs – including 13 from the William S. Boyd School of Law – ranked among the top 100 in their fields as part of U.S. News & World Report's annual collection of top graduate and professional schools released today.
Among the rapid-rising UNLV programs in U.S. News’ 2021 rankings is the School of Nursing. The school’s master’s and doctoral programs both ranked 40th overall, a 36-spot jump for the master’s program and 49-spot rise for the doctoral program. They join an online nursing master’s program that the publication already ranks as the nation’s 11th best. UNLV’s physical therapy program also continued its ascension up the list of the nation’s best programs, rising 22 places to 57th overall.
“As these rankings highlight, the quality of graduate and professional education at UNLV is as strong as it’s ever been,” said Chris Heavey, UNLV interim executive vice president and provost. “Rankings are just one signal of the depth and strength of our graduate programs. As a diverse and growing Carnegie R1 ‘very high research’ university, UNLV is uniquely positioned to make a profound impact on the lives of our students and our community.”
Boyd Law continued to cement its status as one of the nation’s best public law schools, ranking 62nd overall out of 194 accredited programs. Among specialties, the school’s Lawyering Process Program ranked No. 1 for legal writing for the third straight year. The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution ranked sixth in dispute resolution.
UNLV Law’s part-time juris doctor program also remained among the nation’s best, ranking 20th this year. The part-time program offers courses in the evening, allowing students who are employed full-time to earn a law degree in four years. Other top-100 law school programs in this year’s national rankings include Health Law (32), Clinical Training (39), Tax Law (48), Contracts/Commercial Law (51), Intellectual Property (62), Criminal Law (68), Constitutional Law (69), Business/Corporate Law (78), and Environmental Law (85).
UNLV programs in business and education also posted strong gains. The Lee Business School’s part-time MBA program ranked 85th – a 32-place increase over last year. Similarly, the College of Education jumped 48 spots to 95th overall. The Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering had three disciplines ranked in the top 100, with Nuclear Engineering (28), Environmental Engineering (84), and Civil Engineering (93). UNLV also cracked the top 100 in Public Affairs, ranking 90th.
“UNLV’s graduate programs are an important part of a strong Nevada economy,” said Heavey. “We are committed to delivering programs that meet today’s research and workforce demands with an eye toward the jobs of tomorrow.”
Each year, U.S. News analyzes more than 2,000 graduate and specialty programs in a wide range of disciplines. Programs are ranked by discipline or specialty and evaluated based on criteria specific to each degree field, expert opinions about program excellence, and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research and students.
