Seven departments in the Tickle College of Engineering earned top 35 distinction among public universities in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Graduate Schools rankings that were released April 7.
Long considered among the nation’s best, UT’s nuclear engineering graduate program ranked No. 2 among public universities and third nationally for the second straight year. The NE faculty includes some of the world’s leading nuclear experts, and the program is strengthened by the university’s partnership with nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the region’s strong nuclear energy industry.
TCE as a whole rose to an all-time high 28th among public universities and 50th overall. Materials science elevated into the top 20 among public schools for the first time. Chemical, civil, and computer science made the biggest jumps in the rankings from last year among individual TCE departments.
“The upward momentum of the Tickle College of Engineering and its programs is strong—rising seven spots in the past five years,” said TCE Dean Matthew Mench, Wayne T. Davis Dean’s Chair, Chancellor’s Professor, and Condra Chair for the college. “The college prides itself on delivering world-class educational and research programs to its students to serve the state of Tennessee and this nation. I am happy to see the USNWR ranking reflects the tremendous progress we have made.”
Where TCE’s graduate programs placed among the top public university rankings:
- Aerospace 34
- Biomedical 56
- Biosystems 20
- Chemical 42
- Civil 31
- Computer Engineering 35
- Computer Science 45
- Electrical 32
- Environmental 38
- Industrial 28
- Materials Science 20
- Mechanical 42
- Nuclear 2
About the U.S. News and World Report Rankings
The Best Graduate Schools rankings are designed to guide prospective students seeking to pursue advanced education beyond the undergraduate level. The rankings assess programs across a range of disciplines including business, education, engineering, law and nursing.
U.S. News’ Best Graduate Schools rankings are based on two types of data: expert opinion about program excellence and statistical data about the quality of each institution’s faculty, research and student outcomes.
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Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])