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Just one Mass. college ranks among the nation’s best graduate schools, per U.S. News
MIT leads in engineering, but Massachusetts medical and nursing programs mostly fall short in the 2026 rankings.
For a state long celebrated as a global hub for higher education, the latest U.S. News & World Report graduate school rankings offer an unexpected reality check: Massachusetts schools are largely absent from the very top.
In the newly released 2026 rankings, MIT emerged as the state’s only No. 1 program, leading the country in engineering, while other local institutions showed mixed results across business, health, and medicine programs. Notably, no Massachusetts medical school made the publication’s top spots for research, and several nursing programs fell in the rankings.
MIT dominates engineering
MIT ranked No. 1 for best graduate engineering program in the 2026 rankings, with Stanford, University of California, and Berkeley following. MIT also placed first in six engineering specialties, including a tie for first in computer engineering with Berkeley, and in electrical engineering with Berkeley and Stanford.
Harvard earns high marks, but did not top a category
Harvard did not lead any of the major graduate categories highlighted in the rankings. Still, it posted some strong finishes. Harvard Business School tied for fourth, up two spots from last year, Axios reported. Harvard’s graduate education program ranked sixth, and its graduate clinical psychology program ranked ninth, down seven spots.
Medical programs were a weak spot
The rankings were striking for Massachusetts medical schools. No Massachusetts school appeared in the top tier for medical research or primary care, and Massachusetts was absent in the leading research, health care, and nursing programs.
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Tufts University and UMass Chan Medical School were the highest-ranked in the second tier for research. UMass Chan ranked first in Massachusetts for primary care education and in the top half of medical schools nationwide for research activity and funding. The school’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program ranked 29th out of 154, while its Ph.D. program in biological sciences ranked 55th out of 159.
Nursing programs mostly slip
Massachusetts nursing programs saw a mostly downward trend in the latest rankings. According to the Boston Business Journal, Northeastern’s graduate nursing programs at the Bouvé College of Health Sciences fell from 68th to 75th. UMass Boston, the only public school on the list, dropped 21 spots to 78th. Regis College fell to 99th, and Curry College moved from 99th last year to 101st. Boston College had the highest-ranked master’s in nursing program in the state, rising to 26th.
A few programs still stood out
Despite the overall trend, some Massachusetts programs remain strong nationally. Boston University’s Sargent College retained its top national ranking in occupational therapy for the fifth consecutive year, according to the University. UMass Boston’s rehabilitation counseling program also rose from 24th to 15th.
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