School of Public Health Draws a Top 20 Ranking
The College of Educations educational administration program and aerospace engineering are also highly ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
San Diego State University’s School of Public Health, which participated in the forefront of the County of San Diego’s COVID-19 testing, prevention and mitigation efforts, is No. 19 in new rankings of the nation’s best graduate programs by U.S. News & World Report.
The College of Education received a first-ever ranking of No. 26 in educational administration, a category that encompasses its graduate program in educational leadership, and the college itself rose to No. 52 overall in the publication’s 2023 Best Graduate Schools. The College of Engineering’s aerospace engineering program climbed into the top 50 of its list, released March 29.
The ranking for the School of Public Health, founded in 1981 and part of the College of Health and Human Services, is up from No. 31 last year. The school offers master’s degrees in environmental health, epidemiology, health promotion and behavioral science, and health management and policy, and was one of 190 schools assessed by U.S. News for the 2023 rankings.
“The depth and quality of work we produce and education we provide are well recognized,” said Eyal Oren, interim director of the school. “In particular, we are known for our meaningful long-standing partnerships with communities. Our school’s engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies some of the best qualities in our school.”
The school also ranked No. 3 in California, behind the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA, and No. 10 in the country among public schools of public health, said Oren, recording SPH's highest rankings in these two categories.
Despite its relatively small size, the school was awarded a record $24 million in external grants and contracts during the 2020-21 fiscal year from sources that include the National Institutes of Health. An ongoing partnership with the Sweetwater Union High School District and community agencies seeks to increase at-home testing as a preventive measure.
The No. 52 ranking for the College of Education is up from No. 55 last year.
“Our latest rankings reflect a growing national acknowledgement of what we in our college have long known — that SDSU’s education programs are among the best in the country,” said Y. Barry Chung, dean of the College of Education. “The specialty recognition for our training of primary, secondary and higher education administrators shows the breadth of our excellence.”
The aerospace engineering graduate program, part of a set of rankings for aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical programs, placed in the top 50 for the first time, up from No. 56 last year.
U.S. News & World Report said its rankings are based on information and peer assessments collected during fall 2021 and early this year. In addition to annual rankings for business, education, engineering and nursing, it ranks other disciplines on an irregular basis.
In additional graduate program rankings for 2023:
- The graduate program in social work, part of the College of Health and Human Services, is ranked No. 51, matching its most recent ranking from 2020.
- The part-time MBA program in the Fowler College of Business is ranked No. 57.
- In psychology, SDSU is ranked No. 62.
- The public affairs program is No. 70, up three spots from last year.
- The School of Nursing is No. 86.
- Within the College of Engineering, SDSU is No. 88 for biomedical/bioengineering programs, 20 spots better than its ranking the previous year. Mechanical engineering is No. 99, computer engineering is No. 103, and electrical engineering is No. 113.
- In additional sciences, SDSU is No. 94 in chemistry, No. 119 in biology and No. 132 in mathematics.
