New rankings from U.S. News and World Report once again showed positive trends for Boston College’s graduate programs.

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development rose three places, from 22nd to 19th, in the U.S. News 2021 “Best Graduate Schools” rankings, the highest placement of any Jesuit or Catholic school of education. In addition, four Lynch School programs finished in the top 25: Student Counseling and Personnel Services (15th), Secondary Education (18th), Elementary Education (20th), and Curriculum and Instruction (24th).

The Connell School of Nursing moved up one place to 27th, tied with two other schools, and its Family Nurse Practitioner program improved from 22nd to ninth place.

BC Law is 31st in the new U.S. News ranking, tied with five other schools. Several of its specialty programs performed well in the report, including Business Corporate Law (26th), Clinical Training (27th, up from 40th), Contracts/Criminal Law (29th), Constitutional Law (31st), Intellectual Property Law (31st, up from 38th), Criminal Law (43rd), Health Care Law (48th), and Dispute Resolution (48th).

The Carroll School of Management remains among the top 50 full-time MBA programs, ranking 48th along with three other schools, and its Accounting program jumped from 31st to 14th.

Meanwhile, the BC School of Social Work is 10th in the U.S. News rankings for social work programs, which were not updated this year.

The U.S. News "Best Graduate Schools" report follows the recent release of the 2020 QS World University Rankings, where BC placed 10th in Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies. The Theology, Divinity, and Religious Studies ranking is based on academic and employer reputation and global research impact. Boston College was one of only two Catholic institutions among the top 10 schools in the prestigious international survey.

Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley said the latest rankings—with one BC graduate school in the U.S. News top 10, another in the top 20, and a third in the top 30—attest to the quality of the University’s graduate programs.

“It’s gratifying to see U.S. News once again rank Boston College’s graduate schools among the best in the country,” he said. “This recognition is further evidence not only of our longstanding commitment to excellence in graduate and professional education, but of the significant contributions Boston College graduates make in a variety of professions and disciplines.”

University Communications | March 2020