UNC-Chapel Hill graduate programs ranked among best in nation

Numerous University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill graduate programs received high rankings – 20 were among the top 10 in the nation in their respective categories – as part of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” list.

For the third time in a row (2016, 2020 and 2024), UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is the top pharmacy school in the U.S. The rankings are based on a survey of peers from accredited pharmacy schools across the country and are published every four years.

The Gillings School of Global Public Health was ranked second out of 213 schools and programs of public health in the United States for the seventh consecutive rankings period. The Gillings School has also maintained its position as the top public school of public health and has been ranked among the top schools and programs of public health by U.S. News since the magazine first ranked public health schools in 1987. U.S. News & World Report does not rank all graduate programs each year.

“Carolina’s graduate programs are exceptional and it’s no surprise that our schools are ranked so highly among peer institutions by U.S. News and World Report, as well as other measures,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Interim Chancellor Lee H. Roberts.  “Carolina is always proud to be recognized for our dedication to a world-class education. Every one of our graduate programs contributes to making us the leading public research university.”

Altogether, 23 programs increased their rankings, including multiple programs in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, School of Nursing, School of Education, Kenan-Flagler Business School and UNC School of Law.

“These rankings represent the hard work of our faculty, staff and students who are dedicated to moving Carolina forward through their incredible efforts each day,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Chris Clemens. “It is gratifying to see this public recognition of their commitment to the mission of our graduate programs in research, teaching and public service. Even more than in the rankings, the proof of their work is the quality of our students and our passionate alumni who lead in so many fields.”

The School of Social Work moved up three spots in the latest rankings to a tie for fourth overall and is tied for second among public universities.

This year marks the first time since U.S. News & World Report began ranking law schools in 1987 that UNC School of Law has reached No. 20 out of 196 law schools. The UNC School of Law is also the seventh-ranked public law school.

Additional UNC-Chapel Hill rankings for 2024 follow.

Please note: Not all graduate programs are ranked by U.S. News & World Report every year. For a complete list of rankings for UNC-Chapel Hill, visit the U.S. News & World Report website. 

UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy  UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy is the No. 1 Pharmacy School in the Nation

Overall  

• First

Gillings School of Global Public Health  UNC Gillings ranked No. 1 public school of public health in US

Overall 

• First public, second overall

Specialty Areas 

• Health Behavior, second
• Biostatistics, third
• Epidemiology, third
• Health Policy and Management, fourth
• Environmental Health Science, eighth

School of Social Work UNC School of Social Work ranked No. 4 best graduate school for social work in the nation 

Overall 

• Tied for fourth

School of Nursing 

Overall  

• Nursing Schools, Master’s Programs, tied for eighth
• Nursing Schools – DNP Programs, tied for 17th

Specialty Areas 

• Nursing Master’s, Administration/Management, fourth
• Nursing Master’s, Nurse Practitioner: Psychiatric/Mental Health, fourth
• Nursing Master’s, Nurse Practitioner: Family, tied for sixth
• Nursing DNP, Psychiatric/Mental Health, third
• Nursing DNP, Family, tied for sixth

UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School  

Overall  

• Tied for 20th

Specialty Areas  

• Real Estate, ninth
• Accounting, tied for 13th
• Executive MBA, 14th
• Management, 16th
• Production Operations, 16th
• Finance, 20th
• Marketing, tied for 25th

UNC School of Education  

Overall  

• Tied for 25th

Specialty Areas  

• Special Education, tied for 13th
• Elementary Teacher Education, tied for 14th
• Educational Psychology, tied for 15th
• Education Policy, tied for 16th
• Secondary Teacher Education, tied for 17th
• Educational Administration, tied for 17th
• Curriculum and Instruction, tied for 22nd

College of Arts and Sciences

Computer Science  

• Overall, 27th

Public Affairs  

• Overall, 39th (Master of Public Policy)

As part of the public affairs category, U.S. News ranked Carolina programs and specialty areas based in the School of Government and the College of Arts and Sciences’ department of public policy.

School of Government  

• Public Affairs, 23rd (Master of Public Administration)
• Local Government Management, Second
• Leadership, 10th
• Public Finance, 18th

UNC School of Law  Carolina Law Reaches Top 20 in U.S. News Rankings

Overall 

• Tied for 20th

Specialty Areas  

• Legal Writing, tied for 20th
• Criminal Law, tied for 20th
• Tax Law, tied for 20th
• Business/Corporate Law, tied for 22nd
• Clinical Training, tied for 23rd
• Contracts/Commercial Law, 23rd
• Health Care Law, tied for 28th
• Constitutional Law, tied for 29th
• Environmental Law, tied for 45th
• International Law, tied for 52nd
• Intellectual Property Law, tied for 53rd
• Trial Advocacy, tied for 118th

UNC School of Medicine (Additional Rankings will be available at a later date)

Specialty Areas 

• Audiology, tied for third
• Occupational Therapy, fifth
• Physical Therapy, 11th
• Speech Language Pathology, 12th