It's no longer a tie for first: Iowa State University's graduate program in agricultural and biosystems engineering is in sole possession of the No. 1 ranking in 2020. That’s according to the rankings of graduate programs released March 17 by U.S. News and World Report. Last year's rankings of biological and ag engineering had Iowa State and Indiana's Purdue University tied for first. That's no longer the case. 

What made the difference? "Our faculty have continued to excel in mentoring grad students, publishing peer-reviewed research in high-impact journals, obtaining competitive grants and receiving national and international awards," says Steve Mickelson, the ISU department chair and engineering professor. "They are also leaders in their professional societies and within their peer groups." 

Other ISU programs also rank high 

Other ISU highlights in this year's graduate rankings include the College of Engineering ranked 24th among public universities, eight engineering programs ranked in the top 25 of public universities and ISU College of Business Master of Business Administration program ranked in a tie for 28th among public universities. 

Each year, U.S. News & World Report ranks programs in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing. Rankings are based on different measures in each field, but common assessments are preparedness of incoming students, and the career or academic outcomes of graduates. The magazine also periodically ranks programs in the sciences, social sciences, humanities and other disciplines. Those rankings are based on the ratings of academic experts. 

The magazine’s latest rankings of Iowa State graduate programs include: 

Colleges and schools 2020 rankings 

Programs and departments 2020 rankings 

Source: ISU, which is solely responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and all of its subsidiaries are not responsible for any content contained in this information asset.