The rating of the best graduate programs in the U.S. has Texas Tech improving in both areas, while education and engineering both rank in the top third.
Texas Tech University continues to earn high marks for its improvements in providing a quality educational option for students seeking to enter graduate school, as evidenced by the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Programs rankings released today.
“Graduate education is essential for innovation and for meeting the demands of a highly skilled workforce,” said Mark Sheridan, dean of the Graduate School. “These rankings reflect the growing quality of our graduate programs and Texas Tech’s impact on innovation and supporting the economy of the state and nation.”
Texas Tech’s biggest improvements came in the areas of engineering and law. The Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering had the biggest overall leap in the rankings, vaulting 12 spots to No. 105 overall, highlighted by seven programs ranked within the top 100. Included is Texas Tech’s highest ranking of all its programs with petroleum engineering at No. 8, making the top 10 for the third straight year. Other engineering rankings include:
- Industrial, Manufacturing & Systems Engineering: No. 50
- Chemical Engineering: No. 67
- Environmental Engineering: No. 77
- Electrical & Computer Engineering: No.80
- Civil Engineering: No. 92
- Mechanical Engineering: No. 93
Additionally recognized is the School of Law, which made the list at No. 85 and ranked in the top half of schools honored. In addition to the overall ranking for the law school, 13 programs within the School of Law also made the list, including four that improved their marks from a year ago:
- Trial Advocacy: No. 31
- Legal Writing: No. 57
- Dispute Resolution: No. 59
- Tax Law: No. 71
- Clinical Training: No. 102
- Criminal Law: No. 109
- Environmental Law: No. 111
- Intellectual Property Law: No. 118
- Business/Corporate Law: No. 124
- Constitutional Law: No. 135
- International Law: No. 148
- Contract Law: No. 154
- Health Care Law: No. 155
Texas Tech’s College of Education also continues to rank in the top third at No. 84, including a top three spot among schools in the state of Texas.
U.S. News & World Report also debuted rankings in several individual disciplines and majors: biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, mathematics, physics, statistics and fine arts.
Texas Tech also earned rankings in Business (105), Part-Time MBA (98) and Public Affairs (140).
To view the ranking methodologies and see the full list of rankings, visit the U.S. News & World Report website.
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