top of the line

9 Dallas-area universities make U.S. News' 2025 list of top grad schools

SMU has the third best graduate education school in Texas.

Southern Methodist University/Facebook

Nine prestigious Dallas-Fort Worth universities have climbed through the ranks in U.S. News & World Report’s recently released report of the best graduate schools nationwide for 2025. Several graduate programs also appeared among the top 10 in a Texas-wide comparison.

U.S. News published its annual national "Best Graduate Schools" rankings on April 8. They look at several programs including business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, and many others.

For the 2025 report, the publication added new Ph.D. social sciences and humanities program rankings in English, history, political science and sociology for the first time since 2021. U.S. News also ranked graduate economics and psychology programs in the social sciences and the humanities for the first time since 2022.

Among the newcomers is Dallas Baptist University and Abilene Christian University's branch campus, ACU Dallas, based in Addison.

Here's how the nine local schools ranked, statewide and nationally, and how they compared with last year's national ranking:

The University of Texas at Dallas

No. 3 best graduate business school in Texas; No. 31 nationally (up from No. 38 last year)
No. 6 best graduate engineering school in Texas; No. 85 nationally

UT Dallas' part-time MBA program ranked one spot lower as the 14th best nationwide for 2025, and its audiology program tied for No. 5 (down from No. 3 last year). Its speech-language pathology program moved up three spots and earned No. 18 nationally.

Southern Methodist University

No. 3 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 49 nationally (down from No. 48)
No. 4 best graduate business school in Texas; No. 34 nationally (unchanged)
No. 4 best law school in Texas; No. 43 nationally (down from No. 42)
No. 11 best graduate engineering school in Texas; No. 160 nationally

SMU's part-time MBA program ranked No. 34 nationally in 2025. Out of the 11 law programs ranked by U.S. News, the Dedman School of Law performed the best for its criminal (No. 40), business/corporate (No. 41), healthcare (No. 46), and trial advocacy (No. 48) programs. Dedman also ranked No. 27 in the national ranking of law schools with the most graduates at big law firms.

University of North Texas in Dallas

No. 9 best law school in Texas; No. 163 nationally

University of North Texas in Denton

No. 8 best graduate education school in Texas; tied for No. 114 nationally (down from No. 107)
No. 9 best graduate engineering school in Texas; No. 136 nationally
No. 11 best graduate business school in Texas; tied for No. 122-133 nationally (down from No. 111)

UNT Denton's part-time MBA program is the 88th best in the nation, and its audiology program tied for No. 66. The public affairs department ranked No. 72 nationwide this year, and it maintained its top-10 rankings for its homeland security and emergency management (No. 5), and the local government management (No. 8) programs

Texas Christian University in Fort Worth

No. 6 best graduate business school in Texas; No. 43 nationally (up from No. 44)
No. 7 best graduate education school in Texas; tied for No. 114 nationally (up from No. 117)

Texas A&M University in Fort Worth

No. 2 best law school in Texas; No. 22 nationally (up from No. 26)

The Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth has the No. 3 best dispute resolution law program in the nation, and the 6th best intellectual property law program. The school also performed well for its environmental (No. 25), legal writing (No. 27), constitutional (No. 41), contracts/commercial (No. 44), healthcare (No. 44), and international law (No. 45) programs.

University of Texas at Arlington

No. 3 best graduate master's nursing program in Texas; No. 56 nationally (down from No. 31 last year)
No. 5 best graduate engineering school in Texas; No. 81 nationally
No. 13 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 173 nationally

UT Arlington tied for the No. 58 best part-time MBA program nationwide, and tied for No. 96 for its public affairs programs.

Dallas Baptist University

No. 18 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 215 nationally

Abilene Christian University in Addison

No. 19 best graduate education school in Texas; No. 228 nationally

ACU Dallas' occupational therapy program ranked No. 182 nationwide, while its speech-language pathology program ranked No. 217.

Absent from this year's rankings is Texas Woman's University, whose master's nursing program ranked No. 4 statewide and No. 81 nationally in 2024, but went unranked in 2025. But its occupational therapy program ranked No. 1 in Texas and tied for No. 24 nationally, and its physical therapy program ranked No. 2 statewide and tied for 28th nationally.

dallas education graduate schools rankings southern methodist university texas christian university universities us news & world report ut arlington ut dallas

Animal News

Dallas animal shelter invites residents to host a pet during holiday

DAS

Husky at Dallas Animal Services

Dallas Animal Services (DAS) is inviting the community to help bring pets “Home for the Holidays” by adopting or fostering during one of the shelter’s busiest times of the year.

DAS has achieved strong positive outcomes this quarter, including adoptions, foster-to-adopt placements, and underage foster placements, with 1,377 in October and 1,378 in November. The department is now working toward a December goal of 1,400 positive outcomes, with 588 completed so far this month.

“We are grateful for the support our community continues to show,” said Victoria Chittam Bennett, Assistant Director. “Every adoption opens a kennel for another pet in need, and the holidays are an especially meaningful time to welcome a new companion.”

This season, adopters will also have the chance to participate in the Friends of Dallas Animal Services (FODAS) 12 Days of Holiday Giveaways, fully funded and supported through donations from generous community supporters. For more information about this initiative, visit friendsofdas.org and watch out for announcements on social media.

Holiday staycations
Residents who may not be ready to adopt can still support DAS pets by participating in Silent Night Holiday Staycations, a short-term foster opportunity that gives dogs a relaxing break from the shelter during the holiday period.

Pickup dates are scheduled for December 20-21, with drop-off options on December 27-28 or January 3-4. Participants typically spend 1-3 hours at the shelter selecting a foster match, and contact with pets outside the home should be limited. Questions may be directed to DASFtA@dallas.gov.

“Holiday Staycations allow our dogs to decompress and show their personalities in a home environment,” said Amanda Earl, Assistant Director. “The insight we receive from these foster stays is invaluable in helping pets find permanent homes.”

DAS encourages the community to adopt, foster, volunteer, or share adoptable pets to help meet December’s lifesaving goals.
“Together, we can bring home the holidays for the pets relying on us,” said Director Paul Ramon.

For more information on adoptable pets, holiday programs, or ways to get involved, visit https://bedallas90.org/ or stop by the DAS Shelter at 1818 N. Westmoreland Rd.

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