UC Riverside’s business, education, and engineering programs placed high in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 rankings of graduate programs in the U.S.
The School of Business climbed 17 positions for its part-time Master of Business Administration, or MBA, program to rank No. 56 in the nation. The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, or BCOE, ranked No. 89 overall, saw increases in five programs. The School of Education ranked No. 90 overall among 258 schools with doctoral-level programs.
U.S. News and World Report published its rankings of master’s and doctoral programs on April 8, which is based on data including reputational surveys sent to academics and industry professionals and students’ postgraduate outcomes.
The School of Business’s part-time MBA program saw the biggest increase but its full-time MBA program also climbed two positions to tie for No. 88 among Best Business Schools. The previous year, the school, which opened a new academic building last year, climbed 20 positions in the rankings.
The ranking also found that 60% of graduates were employed within three months of graduation and that the average annual salary plus bonuses was $87,276.
“Our improved ranking reflects our continued investments in a strong MBA program,” said Yunzeng Wang, dean of the School of Business. “We just opened a state-of-the-art facility and our MBA graduates go on to get great jobs with good salaries. We expect our ranking will continue to improve as word gets out about the quality of our programs.”
At BCOE, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, and materials science and engineering all rose in the rankings and were among the top 70 of all graduate engineering programs ranked nationwide.
“The graduate programs in our college are key to advancing our students' professional and scholarly goals,” said Christopher S. Lynch, the college’s dean. “These rankings demonstrate our effectiveness in preparing master's and doctoral students for distinguished careers in academia, research, and leadership roles.”
BCOE’s environmental engineering program saw the most significant gains, ranking No. 54, up three positions from last year. The computer engineering and computer science programs moved up to No. 53 and No. 54, respectively. Similarly, the electrical engineering program increased its ranking by two slots to No. 63. The materials science and engineering program ranked at No. 70, an increase of one position.
U.S. News & World Report, the standard-bearer among college rankings, publishes its much-anticipated undergraduate rankings every fall. In the most recent rankings, released in fall 2024, UCR was ranked No. 1 nationally in social mobility, which considers the degree to which a university elevates its graduates to a higher standard of living.
