US News & World Report: CU Boulder graduate programs rank among nation’s best
Numerous CU Boulder graduate level programs are among the top 25 of their kind in the United States, according to the U.S. News and World Report rankings released today.
Highlights include:
- Environmental law has improved by eight points to No. 7.
- Atomic/molecular/optical physics, geology and physical chemistry continue to be ranked within the top 10.
“These rankings have shown, year after year, that CU Boulder is among the top institutions nationally for graduate studies—and that couldn’t be accomplished without the exemplary work of our students, faculty and staff,” said Scott Adler, dean of the Graduate School and vice provost for graduate affairs. “We are appreciative of all that they do to support our ongoing commitment to preparing our students to not just succeed but to thrive.”
U.S. News does not update its rankings for every program each year, and this year there is also a delay announcing the rankings for engineering and clinical psychology, which CU Boulder has historically scored well on.
In the publication’s 2025 issue, CU Boulder maintains previous rankings or has taken new positions in a number of disciplines. These rankings are among public and private institutions combined.
Programs ranking in the top 10 nationally include: atomic/molecular/optical physics (4); environmental law (7); geology (7); and physical chemistry (8).
CU Boulder’s graduate offerings in the following areas rank in the teens nationally: quantum physics (11); psychology (12); condensed matter physics (13); Earth sciences (14); audiology (15); physics (17); sociology of population (17); and education policy (19).
Several other CU Boulder departments and programs are ranked in the top 25 nationally for graduate-level offerings in the categories of: speech-language pathology (21); education curriculum and instruction (22); and fine arts (23).
A full list of CU Boulder graduate rankings is available on the (U.S. News College Compass subscription required for full access). Additional graduate rankings in engineering and clinical psychology are forthcoming.
Programs in the top 20
- Atomic/molecular/optical physics, 4
- Environmental law, 7
- Geology, 7
- Physical chemistry, 8
- Quantum physics, 11
- Psychology, 12
- Condensed matter physics, 13
- Earth sciences, 14
- Audiology, 15
- Physics, 17
- Sociology of population, 17
- Education policy, 19