Game, Set, Match

Charades gets flirty on your phone with new Dallas-based dating app

It’s more common than ever to find a companion online. But a new free Dallas-based dating app hopes to make the process even more personal for its users by turning the flirting process into a mobile charades game.

Charade Date by DNA Mobile launched on iOS in late September as the brainchild of founder Richard Burghardt. Users are shown matches based on age, proximity and sexual orientation and then given the option of requesting a game.

If the other person accepts, the two users enter into a match. They take turns creating eight-second videos with their front-facing camera, in which they act out a charade. The other person guesses, and from there it’s church bells and babies.

“You can’t hide in video interaction,” founder Richard Burghardt says. “You can’t show a picture of yourself from 10 years ago when you were 50 pounds lighter.”

There are no scores to be tallied or games to be won. Rather, it’s about getting to know someone — you can message the other player during the game — through something less stilting than an online profile.

“It’s my opinion that the online dating world and the form of interactions are really unnatural for a lot of people and awkward for some,” Burghardt says.

“People typically get to know someone in some other context than dating. They’re a friend of a friend, and then they turn that into dating, or they worked together and then they started dating. Online dating can be like walking up to someone at a bar; it’s difficult and intimidating.”

Burghardt says Charade Date grew from his interest in apps like Words With Friends and Draw Something that brought a friendly competition without making it about winning.

“I always wanted to know the person on the other end,” he says. “It wasn’t about winning the game; it was about how funny these pictures are. The interaction was where the entertainment was.

“The idea of putting people together on video in the form of a game answers all the questions you might need to get to know somebody.”

Considering there is a meme called “Rule 34” that states, “There is porn of it. No exceptions,” it would make sense that a video-based dating app could result in some less-than-wholesome videos being sent to unwanted eyes. DNA Mobile weighed the two options — heavy policing of videos or a more hands-off approach.

“We call that the ‘Chatroulette Effect’ where you’d see something interesting or funny and then the next video is of someone naked,” Burghardt says. “The heavy policing model had a lot of issues from our end — how do you know what’s inappropriate, the time commitment to monitoring videos, the legal aspect.

“We’ve made it so that you can refuse games and also block people from being able to find you. You hit a button, confirm it and they’re gone for good. It’s the most elegant solution without being a police force.”

But Burghardt says that the video aspect provides security against liars that other dating apps and sites can’t.

“You can’t hide in video interaction,” he says. “You can’t show a picture of yourself from 10 years ago when you were 50 pounds lighter, and you can’t pretend to be a 20-year-old girl when you’re a 40-year-old guy.

“The most important thing is that you’re playing a game, and you have something to talk about. You’re not trying to force a conversation based off a profile.”

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grad school rankings

12 DFW universities boast best graduate programs of 2026, says U.S. News

SMU Facebook

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A dozen Dallas-Fort Worth universities are earning new national acclaim in a just-released report of the best graduate schools in the U.S. for 2026.

U.S. News & World Report annually publishes its national "Best Graduate Schools" rankings in early April, which comprehensively rank graduate programs across business, education, engineering, law, health, and many others.

New for the 2026 edition, the publication updated its rankings across 12 health disciplines — only physician assistant and social work were excluded — and "the first full refresh" of doctoral science programs since 2022. U.S. News also revived its Master's in Fine Arts rankings for the first time since 2020.

"We know a graduate degree is a major commitment,” said LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor of Education at U.S. News. “That is why we are dedicated to methodologies that thoroughly examine a wide range of factors, from research excellence to career success. These rankings are a powerful tool for prospective students, offering clarity and confidence as they approach their most critical educational choice."

This is how the 12 local schools ranked, statewide and nationally, and how they compared with last year's national ranking:

The University of Texas at Dallas in Richardson

Jindal School of Management – No. 2 best graduate business school in Texas; No. 23 nationally (up from No. 31 last year)
Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science – No. 6 best graduate engineering school in Texas; No. 89 nationally (down from No. 85 last year)

UT Dallas' audiology program tied for No. 2 nationally this year, its speech-language pathology program tied for 13th best, and its health care management program tied for No. 68. In the doctoral science rankings, UT Dallas' statistics program tied for No. 66 nationally, the earth sciences program tied for No. 89, the mathematics program tied for No. 106, the physics program tied for No. 113, and the chemistry program tied for No. 118 nationally. The university also boasts the 55th best public affairs program.

Southern Methodist University

Cox School of Business – No. 4 best graduate business school in Texas; No. 26 nationally (down from No. 34 last year)
Dedman School of Law – No. 4 best law school in Texas; No. 42 nationally (up from No. 43 last year)
Lyle School of Engineering – No. 11 best graduate engineering school in Texas; No. 153 nationally (up from No. 160 last year)
Simmons School of Education and Human Development – No. 3 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 47 nationally (up from No. 49 last year)

SMU's clinical psychology program tied for No. 109 nationally this year. In the doctoral science rankings, the university's statistics program tied for No. 66 nationally, the earth sciences program tied for No. 89, the mathematics program tied for No. 114, the physics program tied for No. 130, and the chemistry program tied for No. 135. SMU's graduate fine arts program tied for No. 133 nationally.

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Tier 1 – Best research medical schools in U.S.

UT Southwestern's physical therapy program tied for No. 57 nationally, and the clinical psychology program tied for No. 141. In the doctoral science rankings, the university's biological sciences program tied for No. 16 nationally, and the chemistry program ranked No. 67.

University of North Texas in Dallas

College of Law – No. 9 best law school in Texas; No. 159 nationally (up from No. 163 last year)

UNT Dallas' public affairs program tied for No. 157 best in the U.S.

University of North Texas in Denton

College of Education – No. 9 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 126 nationally (down from No. 114 last year)
College of Engineering – No. 10 best graduate engineering school in Texas; tied for No. 134 nationally (down from No. 136 last year)

UNT's rehabilitation counseling program ranked as the 15th best in the U.S. this year, the audiology program tied for No. 56, the pharmacy program ranked as No. 92, and the university's speech-language pathology program tied for No. 104 nationally. In the doctoral science rankings, UNT's mathematics program tied for No. 139 nationally, the chemistry program tied for No. 150, and the physics program tied for No. 165. The university's public affairs program is the 72nd best in the nation, and its graduate fine arts program ranked No. 75 nationwide.

Texas Christian University in Fort Worth

Neeley School of Business – No. 6 best graduate business school in Texas; No. 60 nationally (down from No. 43 last year)
College of Education – No. 6 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 104 nationally (up from No. 114 last year)

TCU's nurse anesthesia program tied for No. 9 best in the U.S. this year, its speech-language pathology program tied for No. 67, and its occupational therapy program tied for No. 150. In the doctoral science rankings, TCU's chemistry program tied for No. 171 nationally. The university's graduate fine arts program tied for No. 169 nationally.

University of Texas at Arlington

College of Education – No. 13 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 171 nationally (up from No. 173 last year)
College of Engineering – No. 4 best graduate engineering school in Texas; No. 71 nationally (up from No. 81 last year)
Department of Graduate Nursing – No. 3 best master's nursing program in Texas; No. 50 nationally (up from No. 56 last year)

UT Arlington's health care management program tied for No. 81 nationally. In the doctoral science rankings, the physics program tied for No. 113 nationally, the earth sciences program tied for No. 132, the mathematics program tied for No. 139, and the chemistry program tied for No. 150 nationally. UT Arlington's public affairs program tied for No. 120 nationally.

Dallas Baptist University

Bush College of Education – No. 16 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 216 nationally (down from No. 215 last year)

Abilene Christian University in Addison

No. 18 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 227 nationally (up from No. 228 last year)

University of North Texas Health in Fort Worth (formerly The University of North Texas Health Science Center)
The clinical psychology program at UNT Health Fort Worth tied for No. 100 nationally in 2026, and its health care management program tied for No. 68. The public health program ranked 102nd best nationally, and the physical therapy program tied for No. 161.

Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth
The nurse anesthesia program at Texas Wesleyan University tied for 78th best nationally.

Texas Woman's University in Denton
TWU tied for the 15th best occupational therapy program in the nation, its physical therapy program ranked 25th best in the U.S., and its health care management program tied as the 81st best nationwide. The university's speech-language pathology program tied for No. 165 nationally. TWU's graduate fine arts program tied for No. 143 nationally.

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