CEHS Receives High National Rankings for Graduate Programs, Online Master's Programs, and Research Funding

March 19, 2020
Education building arial view

Ranking Highlights for USU’s Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services:

  • No. 1 College of Education in Utah for the 20th Year in a Row
  • No. 29 on the National List of Best Education Schools
  • No. 6 Nationally in Best Online Master’s in Education Programs
  • No. 12 Nationally in Funded Research with $41.8 million

U.S. News and World Report, a global leader in education rankings, has again placed Utah State University's Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services in the top tier of graduate colleges of education in the nation. The college is also celebrating a new ranking this year as #6 for Best Online Master's in Education Programs in the nation.

In the 2021 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools," U.S. News ranked the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services graduate programs #29 of all graduate colleges of education in the nation.

The college is the only school of education in Utah to place in the top 50 and remains the #1 college of education in the state — a title it has held for 20 years.

U.S. News and World Report bases its rankings on a weighted average of 10 quality measures, including peer assessments, faculty resources, faculty awards, and GRE scores for doctoral students. “It’s gratifying to know that we have retained such a high ranking,” said Beth Foley, dean of the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services. “I see evidence of excellence across the college every single day in the important work of our outstanding faculty, staff, and students.”

Of significant note, the college was also ranked 12th in the nation in total research dollars, with faculty and staff securing $41.8 million in funded research, which exceeds Stanford University and Northwestern University, among many others. “We are among the leaders in the nation for external funding because federal and state agencies recognize the quality and impact of the research being done here,” said Dean Foley.

Another notable achievement for the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services is the status of their rehabilitation counseling program. Currently ranked #15 in the nation, the program provides trailblazing leadership nationwide on current special education issues such as transition services. They also are the only top-ranked national program that focuses primarily on distance education.

The college offers many other online programs and is celebrating its ranking this year as #6 nationwide in Best Online Master's of Education programs. The college houses several Master's programs that can be completed entirely online, including a Master of Public Health and a Master of Educational Technology and Learning Science. According to U.S. News and World Report, these highly-ranked online programs “have strong traditional academic foundations based on student-instructor access, graduation rates, and instructor credentials. They also excel at educating distance learners while offering robust career and financial support.”

The Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services is committed to providing outstanding real-world research and service opportunities to students and faculty in human service disciplines. They offer clinical services in multiple arenas, including autism and developmental disabilities, behavioral health, speech-language-hearing, and health education.