This article is from the archives of the UB Reporter.
News

UB grad programs ranked among nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report

By JOHN DELLACONTRADA
Published: March 15, 2012

Several UB graduate and professional degree programs again were recognized as among the best in the country by U.S. News & World Report in its annual ranking of “America’s Best Graduate Schools” released on Tuesday.

“We’re always pleased when our excellent academic programs are recognized for their quality and impact,” said Bruce D. McCombe, interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “U.S. News & World Report is a very visible, albeit imperfect, ranking of graduate programs and schools.”

UB graduate programs in business, English, engineering, fine arts, law, medicine, audiology, clinical psychology, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, social work and speech pathology earned rankings.

The Department of English was ranked No. 9 in the country for its graduate program in literary criticism and theory. The master’s degree program in audiology garnered a No. 17 ranking and the doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) program in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences also earned a No. 17 ranking. The master of fine arts program (MFA) was ranked No. 72 among 500 MFA programs in the U.S.

Among UB professional schools, the UB Law School again was cited as a top-tier school, moving up two spots to No. 82 among accredited law schools in the U.S. “As demonstrated by this year’s rankings, the law school is making steady progress,” said Makau Mutua, dean of the school. “This progress is consistent with the high-quality education we provide our students.”

Nancy Smyth, dean of the School of Social Work, said she was very pleased the school moved up 10 places to No. 26 in the U.S. News ranking. “We’ve focused on providing students with opportunities to study in an innovative educational setting, gain valuable experiences in the community and perform research alongside faculty who are leaders in their fields,” she said.

The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences was ranked No. 57 among the best medical schools in the production of research. Nearly 150 medical schools were considered for the ranking.

The School of Public Health and Health Professions was ranked No. 36 among all schools of public health, and its occupational therapy and physical therapy programs were ranked No. 36 and No. 51, respectively.

The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences continues to be ranked in the U.S. News top tier, earning a No. 54 ranking among 198 schools of engineering that grant doctoral degrees. UB’s engineering school also distinguished itself in the U.S. News rankings of engineering disciplines: No. 34 in aerospace engineering, No. 47 in chemical engineering, No. 24 in civil engineering, No. 72 in electrical engineering, No. 48 in environmental engineering, No. 27 in industrial engineering and No. 62 in mechanical engineering.

The School of Nursing was ranked No. 79 in the U.S. among 467 accredited graduate schools of nursing and also earned a No. 17 ranking for its nursing anesthesia program among 113 accredited programs. Nursing dean Marsha Lewis noted that with the ranking, UB’s graduate nursing program remains in the top 25 percent of schools of nursing nationally and is the No. 4 program in New York State, as well as the top-ranked graduate nursing school within the SUNY system.

The full-time MBA program in the School of Management was ranked No. 89 among programs at 441 accredited business schools considered by U.S. News. The school’s part-time MBA program was ranked No. 98 by the magazine. The U.S. News ranking is the School of Management’s fourth national ranking since September—the school has been ranked as one of the nation’s best business schools by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal.