National Recognition

In its new ranking of leading graduate and professional programs at American universities, U.S. News & World Report magazine has rated two of UC Santa Barbara’s programs among the top 10 in the nation.

In the 2023 U.S. News list of “Best Graduate Schools,” UC Santa Barbara’s materials program is ranked No. 2 among public institutions and No. 5 overall. The chemical engineering program, also part of the College of Engineering, was ranked No. 9 overall and No. 6 among public universities. The College of Engineering itself was ranked No. 14 among public universities.

The UC Santa Barbara graduate program in physics overall ranked No. 11, with four specializations landing in the top 10: quantum (No. 6), elementary particles/field/string theory (No. 7), condensed matter (No. 8), and cosmology/relativity/gravity (also No. 8).

Within the field of psychology, UC Santa Barbara’s graduate specialization in social psychology ranked ninth nationwide. Within sociology, a graduate specialization in sex and gender ranked third, while a specialization in the sociology of culture tied for 10th. A graduate program in geology, within the Earth science department, ranked No. 5.

“The Graduate Division is proud of the departments that ranked so highly, which is a major accomplishment given the relatively small size of our graduate population,” said Leila J. Rupp, Interim Anne and Michael Towbes Graduate Dean. “We are also proud of the departments that are building their programs, or working in innovative fields that are not ranked, or excelling in diversity, equity and inclusion.

We have a lot to celebrate.”