Florida State University’s graduate and professional programs in the College of Arts and Sciences continue to rank among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 edition of “Best Graduate Schools.”

Twelve graduate programs in the College of Arts and Sciences at FSU are ranked in the top 100 among peers public universities, according to the publication’s annual rankings released last month. Disciplines that are periodically ranked by U.S. News and were ranked this cycle include biological science, chemistry, earth sciences and statistics, all of which made significant improvements.

“Our faculty, students, and staff are committed to excellence, and it is nice to see their efforts reflected in the U.S. News & World Reports rankings,” said Sam Huckaba, the college’s dean. “They provide further evidence of the high-quality programs in place across the College of Arts and Sciences."

FSU’s graduate program in biostatistics, part of the Department of Statistics, was ranked for the first time in 2022 as 52nd among all national universities and 31st among public universities. Statistics rose 14 spots, ranking 30th among all national universities and 21st among public universities.

"Our statistics program is one of the top programs in the nation. The graduate program in our department is one of the most diverse programs in the country with four master’s programs and two doctoral programs,” said Xufeng Niu, chair of the Department of Statistics. “Our graduate student enrollment has more than doubled over the last 10 years, from 69 in 2011 to 184 in the fall of 2021, and with the strong support provided by the university and the College of Arts and Sciences, our department is expected to continue growing quickly in future years.”

The Department of Biological Science’s graduate program jumped 32 spots overall and is ranked 43rd among public universities, and the earth sciences program, formerly geological sciences, climbed 37 places and is ranked 44th among those at public universities. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry rose 18 spots overall and is now ranked 27th among public universities, while mathematics climbed four spots overall and is ranked 41st among public universities. Computer science, which ranked 49th among public universities, maintained its position from the last ranking in 2018, and physics and psychology ranked 35th, respectively, among public universities.

“The rise in the ranking for the chemistry and biochemistry doctoral program demonstrates the quality of our program being recognized nationwide. The FSU Cheminoles are winning awards, leading in research, and changing the way we think about chemistry and biochemistry,” said Geoffrey Strouse, chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “We have hired faculty, as well as graduate students, aggressively through the support of the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. In the end, though, it is the concerted effort of the team and the quality of FSU that has led to the ranking increase.”

Each year, U.S. News ranks professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing, including specialties in each area. The Best Graduate Schools rankings in these areas are based on two types of data: expert opinion about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students.

Beyond the six major disciplines ranked annually, U.S. News also periodically ranks programs in the sciences, social sciences and humanities, health, and many other fields based solely on academic experts’ ratings, including surveys from the National Science Foundation and American Statistical Association.

Other FSU College of Arts and Sciences programs appearing on U.S. News lists of top 100 programs, but that were not ranked this cycle include English and history, both ranked in 2021; and clinical psychology, which remains ranked 27th among all national universities and 18th among public universities since 2020.

As FSU continues to rise in the rankings as a university, graduate student enrollment is also increasing. Since Fall 2017, graduate enrollment at FSU has grown by 83 percent, far surpassing the goal of 3 percent in annual growth. FSU received more than 14,000 graduate applications in both Fall 2020 and 2021, and applications for Fall 2022 are up 21 percent so far as compared to Fall 2021.

As of Fall 2021, about 16 percent, or 1,817, of FSU’s 11,143 graduate students are enrolled in programs across the college’s disciplines, with the largest groups enrolled in computer science; earth, ocean and atmospheric science; English; mathematics; physics; psychology; and statistics.

Mark Riley, dean of The Graduate School, said prospective students recognize that these are exciting times at FSU.

“The record-breaking trajectory of applications and enrollments illuminates how students are looking at our programs and liking what they see,” Riley said. “They know we are all about student success and helping them to shine brighter in every endeavor. These stellar rankings reflect FSU’s sustained collective coherence on quality moving us forward to an even brighter tomorrow.”