Graduate programs earn high marks from U.S. News

The latest U.S. News rankings of graduate school programs give KU some bragging points—22 of them, in fact.

Twenty-two graduate programs at KU rank in the top 25 among the nation's public universities, according to the 2004 edition of U.S. News America's Best Graduate Schools. [See list below]

At the top of the list is the KU School of Education's program in special education, which continues to rank first among public universities. Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., is the only university ranked higher than KU in special education and is the only private university in that category's top 10.

Two KU schools moved up in the rankings this year. The School of Nursing is ranked 29th, up from 36th among all universities, and the School of Education moved up to 35th from 36th among all universities. KU is the only Kansas university listed among the top 50 U.S. schools in teacher preparation.

KU's School of Law is ranked 32nd among public schools and 64th among all universities. This is the first year U.S. News has ranked 100 law schools. Previously the top 50 law schools were ranked and others were listed by tiers.

Several KU health programs are ranked among the top 10, including the School of Medicine's master's program in public health, listed as community health in the magazine, and Allied Health's programs in occupational therapy and in nursing-anesthesia. Two programs jointly operated by the School of Allied Health and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are included in the 2004 report: speech-language pathology and audiology.

Here are KU's 22 in the top 25 list:

• city management and urban policy ranks 1st among publics and all universities

• special education ranks 1st among publics and 2nd overall

• community health is 2nd among public universities and tied for 6th overall

• paleontology is 3rd among public universities and 5th overall

• public management administration is 3rd in publics and 7th overall
  

• occupational therapy is tied for 3rd in publics and tied for 8th overall
  

• speech-language pathology is 6th in publics and 7th overall
  

• audiology is tied for 6th in publics and tied for 9th overall
  

• sedimentology/stratigraphy is 7th in publics and 10th overall
  

• public affairs is tied for 7th in publics and tied for 12th overall
  

• public finance and budgeting is tied for 9th in publics and tied for 15th overall
  

• social work is tied for 11th in publics and tied for 19th overall
  

• music is tied for 12th in publics and tied for 26th overall
  

• physical therapy is tied for 12th in publics and tied for 28th overall
  

• nursing-midwifery is tied for 12th in publics and tied for 17th overall
  

• nursing-anesthesia is tied for 13th in publics and tied for 25th overall
  

• clinical psychology is tied for 14th in publics and tied for 19th overall
  

• health services administration is tied for 18th in publics and tied for 29th overall
  

• nursing is tied for 20th in publics and tied for 29th overall
  

• history is tied for 23rd in publics and tied for 45th overall
  

• drama/theatre is tied for 24th in publics and tied for 37th overall
  

• School of Education-research is tied for 25th in publics and tied for 35th overall

U.S. News annually ranks graduate programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine. In addition, the editors rank selected programs in other fields for each edition of the annual report.