The sciences at UCSB got a boost this week from U.S. News & World Report, which ranked two of its graduate programs among the top 10 in the country for 2020. Number 1 among public colleges was UCSB’s graduate research program in materials; it earned third place overall, only surpassed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Northwestern University, both private colleges. UCSB’s graduate chemical engineering program was ranked number 6 among public schools, and number 10 overall. Its parent College of Engineering got a number 13 placement among public universities.
The rankings reflect a quality assessment by the schools’ peers for faculty, students, and research activity. U.S. News updates only some of its graduate rankings annually, this year omitting biology and physical sciences, as well as social sciences and humanities. For full information, see usnews.com/best-graduate-schools.