SDSU Graduate Programs Continue to Climb in National Rankings

San Diego State University’s graduate schools and programs continue to climb in national rankings. The 2020 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate School rankings, just released, show significant increases in their standings. 

Even without the presence of a medical school, SDSU’s graduate program in public health ranked No. 23 of more than 170 schools. This is an increase of 16 spots from last year’s ranking of No. 39, and can be attributed in part to the work of SDSU faculty and the university’s close connection with the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency.

“The rise in rankings reflects the school’s transformative research portfolio—one that rivals many of the UCs—and outstanding graduates who promote public health locally and nationally, said Hala Madanat, director and professor for the School of Public Health. Madanat also credited strong community collaborations, including work with the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, all carried out “while leveraging our location in San Diego to train diverse students and impact health disparities in our own region.”

“Because of the County’s long-standing collaborative relationship with SDSU's School of Public Health we know well the quality of the school’s programs and their valuable benefits to our entire county," said Nick Macchione, director of the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. 

SDSU’s College of Education ranked No. 53 in the nation among all universities. This ranking represents continued advancement for the College of Education from last year’s ranking of No. 54 and No. 57 just two years ago.

“I’m incredibly proud of our college’s recent ascent in the national rankings, which I believe is a reflection of the extraordinary effort put forth by our students, faculty and staff,” said Dr. Y. Barry Chung, dean of the College of Education. “While it’s great to see us move up overall, I’m particularly heartened to see us rise three spots to No. 40 among public universities. The College of Education’s standing among our peer institutions is an area of continued success.”

Other SDSU graduate school programs that saw considerable increases in this year’s rankings include:

• SDSU’s part-time MBA program in the Fowler College of Business ranked No. 81 in the nation. This is a 37-spot increase from last year’s rank of No. 118, and a dramatic rise from the rank of No. 136 three years ago.
• The SDSU master’s program in nursing in the College of Health and Human Services ranked No. 56, up 22 spots from last year’s rank of No. 78.
• SDSU’s graduate program in rehabilitation counseling ranked No. 4 among all universities in the nation. This is an increase from No. 10 last year.

SDSU is consistently named one of the top 10 colleges for new student applications by U.S. News and World Report. This is the fourth consecutive year the school has received more than 80,000 undergraduate applications and the second time applications have topped 90,000.

The university is nationally recognized for academic excellence and for programs that support student success. Most recently, U.S. News & World Report Ranked SDSU No. 60 among top public universities and No. 1 nationally in graduation rate performance.