Tuesday, April 7, 2026
“It’s always an honor to receive rankings that reflect the high quality of our programs, expertise of our faculty, meaningful impact of our work in the communities we serve and our ability to provide students with a top-tier education." - Dean Nicole Dash

U.S. News & World Report has ranked seven UNT College of Public Affairs and Health Sciences graduate programs in the top 10 in the State of Texas for 2026. The Department of Public Administration MPA program came in at No. 1 in Texas and No. 10 in the nation in local government management. For the first time, it received a ranking in the Public Finance and Budgeting category where it sits at No. 1 in the state and 23 in the nation. It also holds its prestigious spot at No. 4 in the state and is No. 72 overall among the 266 public affairs graduate programs ranked this year. In the homeland security and emergency management category, PAHS remains top in the state, and came in at No. 6 overall.

UNT has long been a pioneer in emergency management education, having established the nation’s first bachelor’s degree program in 1983 – more than 50 years ago. Today, PAHS offers bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in the Department of Emergency Management & Disaster Science and an emergency management specialty in the MPA program within the Department of Public Administration.

The master’s in rehabilitation counseling program in the Department of Rehabilitation & Health Services also took a No. 1 spot in the state, ranking No. 15 overall. The department offers three other graduate programs including the Master of Science in Health Data Analytics, a Master of Science in Health Services Administration and a Ph.D. in Health Sciences with a choice of three concentrations – Applied Aging and Rehabilitation Science, Behavioral Analysis and Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology.

In the Department of Audiology & Speech-Language Pathology, the Doctor of Audiology program is No. 3 in Texas, ranking No. 56 overall. The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology also landed a spot in the top 10 in the state – ranking No. 7.

“It’s always an honor to receive rankings that reflect the high quality of our programs, expertise of our faculty, meaningful impact of our work in the communities we serve and our ability to provide students with a top-tier education,” said Nicole Dash, dean of the college. “It’s gratifying to see that collective effort acknowledged on a national stage—and it motivates us to keep raising the bar.”

PAHS also offers graduate programs in behavior analysis, criminal justice, kinesiology, human performance and movement science, and social work as well as more than a dozen undergraduate programs, multiple grad-track pathways and online certification programs. For more information on the College of Public Affairs and Health Sciences and any of its degree programs, visit pahs.unt.edu.