April 23, 2009

U.S.News ranks Purdue's graduate programs among country's best

"The quality of graduate programs impacts and enhances the overall educational quality of a university," said Purdue Provost Randy Woodson. "These rankings reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that a Purdue degree stands for a world-class educational experience that retains its value in the real world. This, in turn, translates into the ability to attract top-notch students who want to share in and be a part of our progress."

The colleges and schools in which programs were ranked include engineering, management, education, liberal arts, science and pharmacy.

Engineering: Purdue's College of Engineering tied with the University of California, San Diego, for 12th overall in the survey, up from 15th last year. Several of its schools are listed among the best in specialty rankings.

"The improvement in our ranking reflects the successes of our faculty and graduate students both in research and in earning the recognition and respect of their peers," said Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. "The college's new strategic plan is entitled 'Extraordinary People, Global Impact,' and I believe that the rankings are one indication of the impact that our extraordinary people are having."

In engineering specialties, Purdue earned top 25 rankings in:

* Biological/Agricultural, No. 1, tied with Cornell University.

* Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical, No. 4, tied with Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan.

* Civil, No. 7, tied with University of Michigan and Virginia Tech.

* Mechanical, No. 8.

* Electrical/Electronic/Communications, No. 10, tied with University of Texas at Austin.

* Industrial, No. 12.

* Computer, No. 12, tied with University of Southern California and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

* Materials, No. 13, tied with Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pennsylvania.

* Nuclear, No. 13, tied with Ohio State University.

*Chemical, No. 14, tied with Carnegie Mellon University.

* Environmental, No. 17, tied with Rice University, University of Iowa and University of Minnesota.

* Biomedical, No. 22, tied with University of Minnesota, University of Utah and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Business: The Krannert School of Management's MBA program moved up one spot to No. 32 overall and up one spot to No. 13 among public universities. In specialty rankings, based upon nominations by business school deans and heads of MBA programs, the Krannert School ranked in the top 10 in two areas emphasized in its strategic plan: No. 6 in production/operations management and No. 10 in supply chain/logistics. Information systems ranked No. 18, tied with the University of California Los Angeles and the University of Pittsburgh.

"We're pleased with the upward movement in our overall ranking and with our top 10 rankings in categories related to Krannert strengths," said Richard A. Cosier, Krannert School dean and Leeds Professor of Management. "Over the past year, we have begun to implement a number of major changes and improvements to our MBA program, and those upgrades were done after the information for this ranking was collected. We believe we are positioned well for future success in the program."

Krannert revised its MBA curriculum this spring to allow students to better tailor studies to their needs as well as to provide a stronger focus on experiential learning and global study trips.

Education: Purdue's College of Education jumped 20 spots in this year's rankings, from No. 68 to tie for No. 48 with the College of William and Mary and the University of Illinois, Chicago.

"Our improved rank is due to the faculty's success in attaining large collaborative grants and in our implementation of innovative projects, such as the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship program to train math and science teachers for rural schools," said Kevin Kelly, interim dean of the college.

"Our leadership and innovation are reflected in strong reputational rankings from P-12 school superintendents and increasing success in recruiting excellent doctoral students. We are pleased with this recognition and look forward to an even greater role as an education leader for the state and nation."

Not all disciplines are ranked each year. Other Purdue programs were ranked in previous surveys, and their placements continue to carry over to this year's report. Programs ranked in previous evaluations include:

* Department of Chemistry analytical chemistry program ranked No. 2 in 2007.

* 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 of audiology degree program was tied for No. 9 in 2008.

* School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences doctoral program was tied for No. 9 in 2008.

* Department of Statistics tied for 10th in 2008.

* School of Veterinary Medicine ranked 14th in 2007.

* Department of Computer Science systems program ranked 16th in 2008.

* Department of Computer Science programming language program ranked 18th in 2008.

* Department of Mathematics applied mathematics program ranked 19th in 2008.

* Department of Computer Science ranked 19th in 2008.

* Department of Chemistry tied for 22nd in 2007.

* Department of Mathematics ranked 28th in 2008.

* Department of Physics tied for 36th in 2008.

* Department of Biological Sciences tied for 42nd in 2007.

* Department of Clinical Psychology tied for 43rd in 2008.

* Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences ranked 43rd in 2006.

U.S.News & World Report's complete rankings in "America's Best Graduate Schools" will be available on newstands Monday (April 27). U.S.News has published graduate school rankings annually since 1987.

Writers: Tanya Brown for Krannert School of Management, 765-494-2079, tanyabrown@purdue.edu

Judith Barra Austin for College of Engineering, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu

Elizabeth Gardner for College of Science, 765-494-2081, ekgardner@purdue.edu

Amy Patterson Neubert for College of Liberal Arts, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Greg McClure, 765-496-2296, gmcclure@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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