Source: U.S.News & World Report

The University of Georgia College of Education's overall graduate program is ranked in a tie for 26th in the nation in U.S. News and World Report's 2008 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools."

UGA’s program in education, the highest-ranked graduate program on campus, ranks among the nation’s top 20 public universities. It ranks among the top four education schools in the South.

“Our continued ranking among the nation’s top education schools, reflects the excellence and hard work of our faculty and students.” said Dean Louis A. Castenell Jr. “While the U.S. News rankings are weighted in favor of research and we strive to be a national leader in that area, we are also one of the largest and most productive among the top 50 education schools with an enrollment of 1,078 students in graduate teaching programs alone — second only to Teachers College at Columbia University. Ultimately, our most important commitment is to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families in Georgia and elsewhere by preparing world-class education and health professionals.”

In specialty programs, UGA graduate education programs are ranked in nine of 10 categories. Six UGA programs are again ranked in the top 10:

-- Elementary Education 4th
-- Vocational / Technical 4th
-- Secondary Education 5th
-- Higher Education Administration 6th
-- Counseling / Personnel Services 9th
-- Curriculum / Instruction 9th

Two more COE programs rank in the top 15 and one in the top 25:
-- Educational Psychology 13th
-- Special Education 15th
-- Administration / Supervision 24th

Under graduate health programs, one COE program was ranked:
-- Speech-Language Pathology45th.

In other UGA graduate rankings, the School of Law is tied at 36th and the Terry College of Business is tied at 46th.

“We are pleased again this year to see a number of UGA programs listed among the very best in their respective fields,” said President Michael F. Adams. “Our graduate programs are a critical part of the university's mission. UGA's graduate faculty and students are dedicated to excellence and make a significant contribution to the research enterprise of the state and nation.”

Maureen Grasso, dean of UGA’s Graduate School, agreed. “These rankings reflect the quality of our graduate programs and are also a testament to the superb faculty and students at the University of Georgia. We will continue to build on our strengths and welcome the challenges such rankings present,” Grasso said.

“The University of Georgia School of Law is one of the top law schools in the nation. We have one of the country's most academically talented student bodies, and we rank among the very finest public law schools in the country. While we recognize that some place considerable emphasis on rankings like those produced by U.S. News, the fact is that these lists have virtually no impact on the operations of our school,” said Rebecca Hanner White, dean of the School of Law.

The Terry College of Business maintained its top 50 position in the U.S. News ranking of graduate business programs. Terry was the fifth most selective public graduate program in terms of acceptance rate, at 31.9 percent. The average starting salary and bonus for 2006 M.B.A. graduates also improved over the previous year, rising to $76,154.

“It’s gratifying to be regarded among the top M.B.A. programs in the country and to count ourselves among the top 20 public business schools,” said Robert Hoyt, interim dean of the Terry College. “We remain very committed to our unique brand of personalized leadership development that includes one-on-one professional coaches for all our M.B.A. students. We believe this blend of business expertise and leadership skill will continue to be welcomed and well-received by employers.”

UGA also tied for 58th among Ph.D. programs in the biological sciences. In the biological sciences specialties, ecology / evolutionary biology ranked 10th.

Previous years’ rankings which continue in this year’s listing include: The School of Public and International Affairs ranked third (2004); public finance and budgeting ranked third and public management ranked second (2004); clinical psychology tied for 32nd (2004); and master of fine arts tied for 21st and printmaking ranked third (2003).

The rankings and their methodology are available online at www.usnews.com.

© 2006 University of Georgia