U.S. News & World Report named the School of Veterinary Medicine No. 1 in the nation in its most recent rankings of professional and graduate programs. 

The media company released updated rankings today (April 24) for nearly 20 disciplines and dozens of specialties in its 2023-2024 Best Graduate Schools. Among them, UC Davis also had top-25 programs and specialties in earth sciences, engineering, mathematics and nursing.

U.S. News ranks veterinary medicine every four years, and this marks the third consecutive time UC Davis has been on top. The ranking only adds to its accolades. The QS World University Rankings by Subject has ranked UC Davis first or second in the world since the subject was added to its rankings in 2015.

Earth sciences

In earth sciences overall, UC Davis tied with five other universities for 14th, and in the specialty of geology tied for the 16th spot.

Health sciences

For master’s degree nursing programs, the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing tied for the 23rd spot — and is among the top 25 for the third consecutive year. The Master of Health Services — Physician Assistant Studies moved to 40th in a tie with five other programs — up from No. 74 when the programs were last ranked in 2019.

U.S. News sends rankings to schools for their confidential review about a week in advance. “Due to an unprecedented number of inquiries from schools,” the company said, it first delayed all rankings by a week, revised some rankings now made public today and said it will release the medical and law school rankings at a later date.

College of Engineering

UC Davis, tied with two other schools for 34th out of 202 universities nationwide with doctoral engineering programs, was recognized for excellence in 10 engineering specialties including third in agriculture and a three-way tie for ninth in civil engineering.

Education

The School of Education tied for 40th spot with two institutions among the 272 schools that qualified for ranking.

Business

The Graduate School of Management’s Full-Time MBA continues to be ranked among the premier programs in the nation in a tie with three other schools at 55th among 149 programs eligible for ranking. U.S. News surveyed the 496 institutions with master’s-level business programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The UC Davis Part-Time MBA, offered in Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, is tied for 35th among the 299 ranked. 

Sciences

In other rankings:

• Mathematics, in a four-way tie for 30th and, in the specialty of discrete mathematics and combinatorics, tied for 13th
• Physics, in a nine-way tie for 38th
• Chemistry, in a four-way tie for 38th
• Computer science, in a five-way tie for 41st

About U.S News rankings

U.S. News ranks some disciplines annually and others periodically. Visit the UC Davis rankings page for highlights from last year’s rankings. Each set of rankings is based on different types of data, including expert opinions relating to a program’s academic excellence and statistical indicators that assess students and faculty achievements. The rankings are available on the U.S. News and World Report website.

About the School of Veterinary Medicine

The School of Veterinary Medicine has more than 700 students pursuing the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and other professional and graduate degrees, and offers the nation’s largest veterinarian residency program with more than 35 specialties. More than $89 million in annual research funding is applied to benefit animal, human and planetary health. The school’s hospital treats more than 50,000 patients each year. This month the school will celebrate its 75th anniversary.

UC Davis and rankings

A world-class university, UC Davis is highly ranked for how it transforms students’ lives, the impact of its research, the excellence of its academic programs, sustainability and more. See highlights on our rankings page. The university performs self-evaluations and also appreciates the value of third-party assessments. However, ranking methods vary, change over time and can be subjective. UC Davis focuses on those rankings that most closely align with its mission and values — including serving the public good, inclusiveness and equity, and social mobility — and in national rankings looks most closely at its standing among public universities. UC Davis encourages prospective students and their families to weigh rankings among other factors in their college decision, talk with counselors and UC Davis admissions advisors, and, if possible, visit the campus.