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

This Week's Hot Headlines

Mega-developments coming to booming Dallas suburb and more top stories

Rendering courtesy of Daake Law

undefined

Editor's note: The top Dallas news of the week is booming with mixed-use developments and restaurant openings. Plus, a look at the growing halal barbecue trend in Texas. Read on for our most popular stories, then plan some weekend fun via this guide.

1. 2 new Prosper mega-developments will include Venetian village with canals. Fast-growing Prosper, an affluent town in Collin County north of Dallas, is poised to grow even more. Two mixed-use projects — with a collective price tag exceeding $500 million — are bringing more than 4,400 homes along with stores, restaurants, and hotels to Prosper, whose population soared more than 50 percent from 2020 to 2025.

2. Dallas steakhouse chef to open his own restaurant on Greenville Ave. An acclaimed Dallas chef is striking out on his own. Aubrey Murphy, who most recently was executive chef at SER Steak + Spirits, is opening his own restaurant on Greenville Avenue.

Yo-Chi is coming to Dallas. Photo courtesy of Yo-Chi Frozen Yogurt

3. Australian frozen yogurt chain Yo-Chi swirls into Dallas for U.S. debut. A cult-favorite Australian frozen yogurt chain known for self-serve bowls, extensive topping bars, and lively vibe has picked Dallas for its U.S. debut. Yo-Chi will open its first U.S. location this fall at 5710 W. Lovers Ln. Ste. 101, near Inwood Village.

4. Dallas-Fort Worth pitmasters lead Texas’ growing halal BBQ boom. At least a dozen Texas barbecue spots now serve halal meats, including Yearby’s Barbecue & Waterice, run by Black Muslim couple CJ and Sabrina Henley, soon-to-be in Plano; and Levant Mediterranean BBQ, a restaurant with locations in Houston and Frisco and whose all-beef menu includes a brisket shawarma sandwich.

5. Retail boom in fast-growing Forney fueled by massive mixed-use development. Frisco's not the only North Texas city experiencing a retail explosion right now. Forney's getting in on the action, too.