NC State Education Continues to Move Up in U.S. News Ranking, Now No. 45 in Nation

RALEIGH, North Carolina—The NC State College of Education is tied at No. 45 in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best Graduate School Rankings among all graduate colleges of education in the nation. This is the third year in a row that NC State Education has improved in the U.S. News’ rankings and the second year in a row that the college has hit a new high in the rankings.

Among just public colleges of education, NC State Education is tied at No. 32.

In addition, peers ranked NC State Education tied at No. 22 in the nation in the Educational Administration and Supervision speciality category for its outstanding principal preparation program.

“Our continuous improvement in the U.S. News’ rankings is a reflection of the growing national awareness that we are a research powerhouse positively impacting education,” NC State Education Dean Mary Ann Danowitz said. “These rankings are a credit to the incredible work that our faculty and staff are doing to advance our college’s land-grant mission to solve the most challenging educational problems facing North Carolina and the nation.”

NC State Education has jumped 14 spots in the rankings since the 2017 edition, when the college was ranked No. 59 in the nation. The 2020 ranking places the college in the top 12 percent among all 392 colleges of education in the U.S. that award doctoral degrees.

The U.S. News’ Best Graduate School Rankings are based on student selectivity, faculty resources, peer and superintendent assessments, and research activity.

NC State Education has made gains in recent years in the peer and superintendent assessment ratings, and its faculty and staff continue to be the most active researchers in North Carolina and among the most active in the nation. The average of the college’s total research expenditures over fiscal years 2017 and 2018 was $23.8 million. That figure is the most of any college or school of education in North Carolina and the 16th highest among public colleges of education and 25th highest among all colleges of education in the nation.

Research expenditures are the amount of separately funded research that faculty conduct.