What is the best website to use to learn PhD program rankings... I'd like to search for my area of study and be given ranked list of universities if possible.
#university #college-admissions #college #phd
2 answers
Brian’s Answer
Hi Sara! It is great you are considering continuing your education and thinking about colleges and advanced degrees.
One thing to note, you can get a PhD in many different areas. There are also many places on line to get university rankings, particularly when you start to focus on a particular area of study.
One place that may be great to start with is the US News & World Report rankings - they provide several different slices of 'best for....'
Brian recommends the following next steps:
Kate’s Answer
PhD programs are highly specialized by topic area, and thus, a ranking tends not to be the most useful way to figure out if it's a good fit for you. I would recommend you reach out to at least 3 professors at each school you are interested in attending and talk to them about the program and their research interests and see if they are aligned. You should also research the funding options and try to stick to places that will partially or fully fund your work. Finally, you can reach out to current and former students to see what their experience is. I would only apply to a handful of schools that you are sure fit your criteria, and don't worry about the rankings at this point!