Athens, Ga.
– University of Georgia graduate programs
remained among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World
Report’s 2009 edition of America’s
Best Graduate Schools. The College
of Education moved up in
the rankings to a 25th place tie. The School of Law
improved its position to tie for 32nd, while the Terry College of Business tied
for 49th.
“It is a tribute to the ongoing excellent scholarship and research of our
graduate faculty and students that UGA’s graduate programs remain among the
best in the nation,” said President Michael F. Adams. “We look forward to
continued growth and success of these and all of our graduate programs.”
UGA’s College of Education ranked 18th among the nation’s
public universities. It also ranked among the top three education colleges in
the South. UGA rose one spot in the latest rankings to 25th from last year’s
rankings to tie with Arizona State University,
the University of Illinois and the University of Maryland.
“Consistent excellence always has been an important goal in the College of Education,” said Arthur M. Horne,
interim dean. “The latest national rankings provide just one indication that we
are fulfilling this goal, but we recognize that the most important measure of
our success is how well we carry out our core mission—serving the people of Georgia,
especially when it comes to educating our children.”
Nearly all of the education college’s six ranked specialty programs improved
their top 10 standings. Elementary education tied for third;
vocational/technical education ranked third; secondary education ranked fourth;
higher education administration ranked seventh (down one point);
counseling/personnel services ranked sixth; and the curriculum/instruction
program ranked eighth.
Three more COE specialty programs are ranked in the top
20. Educational psychology ranked 18th;
special education ranked 15th; and administration/supervision ranked 19th.
The School of Law rose four spots in this year’s
rankings, moving to 32nd from 36th.
“We are pleased to be regarded among our nation’s top law schools and remain
committed to providing the finest legal education possible,” School of Law Dean Rebecca
H. White said. “Not only are our faculty
dedicated and respected scholars and teachers, but year in and year out, our
entering classes boast some of the highest academic credentials.
“Additionally, our alumni continue to bring added distinction to the school,”
White said. “For instance, counting the October 2007 term, School of Law
graduates have served our nation’s highest court as judicial clerks for three
consecutive years, placing the School
of Law among the top five
public law schools in the nation for supplying clerks to the U.S. Supreme Court
from 2000 to 2007.”
The Terry College of Business maintained its top 50 ranking, as it has annually
since the start of the decade.
“More than 500 business schools have graduate programs that are accredited by
AACSB International, and the number that earn accreditation represents less
than 10 percent of the world’s business schools,” said Robert T. Sumichrast,
dean of the Terry College. “It’s an incredibly competitive environment, so
achieving a top 50 ranking is an elite measure of quality among MBA programs.
“But we view Terry’s top 50 stature as the base from which we are launching a
campaign to elevate the quality of our students and faculty, improve our
programs and raise the national prominence of the Terry College,” Sumichrast
said, noting that some objective measures of quality such as standardized test
scores and starting salaries had improved in this year’s ranking over the
previous year.
The School of Public
and International Affairs’ Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree program
shared the fourth place ranking with Princeton
University. SPIA also had
two highly ranked specialty programs. The public finance and budgeting
specialization and the public management and administration specialization both
held second place rankings in their respective top 10 categories.
“I am so pleased that our public administration and policy degree program is
once again ranked among the top four programs in the nation,” said Thomas P.
Lauth, dean of the School
of Public and
International Affairs. “This ranking demonstrates the excellence of the faculty
and graduate students in our department of public administration and policy. I
congratulate them for their many accomplishments.”
The School of Social Work’s Master of Social Work
Program tied for 30th.The program ranked4th in the Southeast
andin the top 15% of MSW programs accredited by the Council on Social
Work Education.
“Our school continues to rise to the challenge of meeting
the increasing demand for knowledgeable and skilled social workers in Georgia and beyond,” said Maurice C. Daniels,
dean of the School
of Social Work. “To be
recognizedas a leading school in the Southeast and in the nation honors
the dedicated work of our faculty and staff in educating thenext
generation of social work professionals.”
UGA’s Ph.D. program in clinical psychology tied for 33rd and
its master of fine arts program tied for 37th. Both programs are in UGA’s
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
“We’re delighted to know that these programs in the Franklin College
continue to draw attention in national rankings,” said Garnett S. Stokes, dean
of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “It is a tribute to the quality
of our faculty, students and staff that we are able to gain such notice.”
The rankings, along with methodology,are available online at http://www.usnews.com/. The full rankings
will be available in book form April 1. Highlights of the rankings will be
published in the April 7-14 edition of U.S. News & World Report
magazine, available March 31.
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