Thirteen UNLV programs – including eight from the William S. Boyd School of Law – ranked among the top 100 in U.S. News & World Report's annual collection of top graduate and professional schools released today.

Boyd Law continued its ascent up the overall list of the nation’s top law schools for the third consecutive year, ranking 58th out of 192 accredited programs. This is the school’s highest-ever ranking and a one-point rise over last year.

Among specialty programs, the school’s Lawyering Process Program ranked first nationally in legal writing for the second year in a row. The program emphasizes professionalism and prepares students to enter the profession with the skills they need to succeed in written and oral advocacy. The Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution jumped five spots and is now ranked fifth in dispute resolution. Frequently listed among the nation’s top programs, the Saltman Center’s mission is to advance the study of methods through which conflicts may be resolved.

“We are thrilled that the Lawyering Process Program and the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution have once again been recognized as leading programs in their fields,” said Daniel W. Hamilton, dean of the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law. “We are pleased with the school’s overall ranking and remain committed to serving our city and state with students who engage in community service, faculty who are passionate about research and teaching, and alumni who are leaders in public service and private practice.”

UNLV Law’s part-time juris doctor program also remained among the nation’s best, ranking 18th this year. The part-time program offers courses in the evening, allowing students who are employed full-time to earn a law degree in four years. Other law school programs entering the national rankings for the first time this year include Health Law (36), Clinical Training (40), Tax Law (65), and Intellectual Property (69).

In all, 13 UNLV programs ranked among the top 100 in their respective fields in U.S. News'  2020 Best Graduate Schools publication. In addition to the eight from Boyd Law, programs in Healthcare Management (65), Social Work (77), and Environmental Engineering (81) placed the top 100. Two School of Nursing programs – its Doctor of Nursing Practice (89) and master’s program (76) – entered the top 100 rankings for the first time and join an online nursing master’s program that U.S. News already places among the nation’s best.

Each year, U.S. News analyzes more than 2,000 graduate and specialty programs in a wide range of disciplines. Programs are ranked by discipline or specialty and evaluated based on criteria specific to each degree field, expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research and students.