Graduate school receives high rankings
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 04/16/2010
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U.S. News & World Report ranked Purdue’s graduate programs in education, business, engineering and science among the best in the nation.
Purdue President France Córdova said the University continues to be recognized by its peer in research and education at the graduate level.
“These rankings remind us that Purdue’s faculty excel in their fields of study, and they continue to be praised for their role as educators,” Córdova said in a press release. “This is a winning combination for prospective graduate students.”
In education, the graduate program was ranked 44th. Last year, the program was ranked 48. This was a 20-place jump from 2008 ranking of 68th.
The College of Engineering’s graduate program was tied with the University of California-San Diego at 13th. Last year it was 12th, up from 15th in 2008.
Engineering also had five of its schools ranked in the top 10 in the country in specialty rankings. Agricultural and biological engineering ranked first. Additional schools in the top 10 included aeronautics and astronautics, sixth; civil, third, which tied with Georgia Institute of Technology, Stanford University and University of Texas at Austin; industrial, 10th, tied with the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and mechanical, which was ranked ninth.
The Krannert School of Management’s graduate program was ranked 36th overall, tied with the University of California-Irvine and Vanderbilt University, and 15th among public universities.
For the first time, the Weekend Master of Business Administration program at Krannert was ranked. It was 15th among part-time MBA programs, tied with University of Maryland-College Park, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Georgetown University and University of Washington.
Krannert’s production/operations program was also ranked fifth in specialty rankings.
Four graduate programs in the College of Science also ranked among the top 25 in the nation. Purdue’s analytical chemistry program is again ranked second. The general chemistry program moved up to 21st in the rankings, now tied with Johns Hopkins University, Pennsylvania State University-University Park, the University of California-San Diego and the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
The mathematics program also moved up in the rankings to 27th, now tied with Pennsylvania State University-University Park and the University of Washington. It was up one spot from 28th.
Mark J.T. Smith, dean of the Graduate School, said Purdue is known for its strong academic background.
“Graduate students know Purdue provides a phenomenal educational foundation and opportunities to work with world-class faculty members,” Smith said in a press release. “Complementing our strong departments is an array of interdisciplinary programs that allow students to address issues of global importance.”
Jeanne Norberg, Purdue spokeswoman, said she was happy to see new programs ranking high in the Report.
“While we know our School of Management, Engineering and Science always rank well, I was especially pleased to see our College of Education continue its climb. The magazine also ranked weekend MBA programs for the first time, and it’s no surprise that Purdue’s ranked among the best.”
Fast Facts (if needed) of additional programs
* Computer science, 20th
* Statistics, tied for 22nd with Columbia University; Cornell University; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
* Physics, tied for 40th with Boston University; Indiana University, Bloomington; New York University; Texas A&M University-College Station; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of Virginia; and Washington University in St. Louis.
* Biological sciences, 56th.
Not all disciplines are ranked each year. Other Purdue programs were ranked in previous surveys, and their placements carry over to this year’s report. Previously ranked programs include:
* Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences’ master’s degree program in speech-language pathology was tied for No. 2 in 2008.
* Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences’ doctoral program in audiology was tied for No. 9 in 2008.
* School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences’ doctoral program was tied for No. 9 in 2008.
*�School�of�Veterinary Medicine was ranked 14th in 2007.
* Psychology was tied for 45th in 2009, and the doctoral program in clinical psychology was tied for 43rd in 2008.