Last modified: Monday, March 12, 2012
IU graduate programs again ranked highly by U.S. News
School of Public and Environmental Affairs ranks second, according to Best Graduate Schools report
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2012
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Graduate programs in public and environmental affairs, fine arts, business, education, law, medicine and other health disciplines were again ranked among the top programs in the nation in the 2013 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Best Graduate Schools rankings, released today, March 13.
IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs now stands alone as the No. 2-ranked graduate program overall in the country, ahead of Harvard, Princeton and other major universities.
SPEA also has the No. 1 environmental policy and management program, and the No. 1 nonprofit management program. Other top five SPEA specialties were public management and administration and public finance and budgeting, which were ranked third.
"It is exciting news to hear that our graduate public affairs program is now ranked as one of the top two out of 266 in the nation," said John D. Graham, dean of the school. "A ranking like this is cause for celebration, and we're celebrating. We're also re-dedicating ourselves to producing the relevant research and the innovative academic programs that have earned SPEA its reputation for excellence.
"Not only is our overall ranking on the rise, but our programs in nonprofit management and environmental policy and management are considered the best in the nation, and our programs in public finance and public management are in the top three," Graham added. "In addition, we are pleased to see SPEA remains Indiana University's top-ranked graduate school and is first among all state university public affairs programs."
Three health-related programs in IU's College of Arts and Sciences were ranked in the top 20. Its speech-language pathology master's program was ranked 11th overall and ninth among public universities. Its audiology doctoral program was ranked 17th overall and 13th among publics, and the clinical psychology doctoral program was 18th overall and 11th among publics.
The Master of Fine Arts program at IU Bloomington was 36th overall and 16th among public universities.
"There is an incredible width and depth to the expertise of our faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences, that leads to academic excellence, as indicated by these new U.S. News rankings," said its dean, Larry D. Singell Jr. "We're talking clinical psychology on one hand and fine arts on the other -- that's quite an impressive span. Congratulations to these specific programs, which join many others in the College that compete with the best in the country."
The IU Kelley School of Business Master of Business Administration programs maintained their position among elite schools of business. Its full-time program at IU Bloomington was ranked 23rd overall, seventh among public universities and third in the Big Ten. Its part-time program at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis moved up to ninth overall and fifth among public universities.
"There are over 3,000 universities and colleges in the United States that grant degrees in business, so to be ranked No. 23 overall and seventh among public programs places us among the nation's elite," said Dan Smith, dean of the Kelley School of Business. "I am also quite proud of our faculty, staff and leadership of our part-time MBA program in Indianapolis. To be ranked among the top 10 part-time programs in the nation clearly defines Kelley as the quality leader among part-time MBA programs in Indiana."
Four of the Kelley School's specialties were highlighted by peers, with entrepreneurship at eighth overall and third among public institutions; production/operations at 10th overall and third among public schools; accounting at 12th overall and sixth among publics; and information systems at 12th overall and seventh among publics.
Nearly 400 accredited programs responded to U.S. News' survey of graduate business programs, and 136 provided the data needed for the magazine to calculate its rankings.
IU's two schools of law also were well represented. The IU Maurer School of Law in Bloomington ranked ninth among public institutions in the rankings and 26th overall.
"The Maurer School of Law benefits from the deep commitment of its faculty, staff and alumni to the school's mission," said Hannah L. Buxbaum, interim dean and John E. Schiller Chair in Legal Ethics. "We're pleased to be recognized as one of the leading public law schools in the country."
The IU McKinney School of Law at Indianapolis was ranked 41st among public institutions and 89th overall. Its legal writing program ranked ninth, the fourth consecutive year it has been in the top 10 in the national survey.
Nearly 200 accredited U.S. law schools were included in the rankings.
The IU School of Education again ranked 21st overall and 11th among public university graduate schools. The school had top rankings for five of its degree programs: seventh for curriculum/instruction; eighth for elementary education and higher education administration; 10th for student counseling and personnel services; and 12th for secondary education.
"It is gratifying to see that the School of Education is ranked among the top 10 percent of the 280 doctoral-granting education programs surveyed by U.S. News this year," said Gerardo Gonzalez, dean of the school. "Our overall ranking of 21 nationally puts us among an elite number of public and private institutions known for the quality of their education programs."
More than 250 education schools provided data to be included in the rankings.
The IU School of Medicine moved into the top 50 for research, up to 48th from 51st a year ago, and stayed at 24th for primary care.
"Our medical graduate programs consistently rank well nationally," said D. Craig Brater, dean of the school and vice president for university clinical affairs. "We are in the 95th percentile among all medical schools in the number of our graduates who enter primary care and similarly for those who practice in rural communities. Our rank for graduate programs reveals the dedication and quality of both our faculty and the graduate students we teach. The School of Medicine continues to significantly impact the health and well-being of Hoosiers and the economic success of Indiana."
The Master of Fine Arts program at the Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis ranked 45th overall and 20th among public universities.
U.S. News & World Report ranks graduate programs on formulas that consider a variety of factors, including peer and employer assessments, job placement of graduates, research funding, admissions selectivity and faculty-student ratios. Nursing rankings rely on surveys of program directors and faculty.
While business, education, engineering, law and medicine are ranked every year, graduate programs in other disciplines typically go several years between rankings. In 2009, the School of Library and Information Science ranked seventh in the library and information science category. IU graduate specialty programs in chemistry, physics, psychology, sociology, English, history and art have received top-10 rankings in recent years. The IU School of Nursing was ranked 15th in 2011.
U.S. News also did not issue new rankings for the biological sciences, chemistry, criminology, earth sciences, economics, English, history, library science, nursing, mathematics, political science, psychology, public health and sociology.
The rankings are available today at www.usnews.com. Detailed information will be available in the 2013 Best Graduate Schools publications, which will be available this week at Amazon.com and the U.S. News store.
