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University of Georgia graduate programs continue to rank among the best in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools. UGA’s College of Education was ranked 38th, up from 46th last year; the School of Law ranked 34th, up one position from last year; and the Terry College of Business ranked 57th nationwide.

“The fact that UGA is consistently ranked highly by a variety of publications for the quality and value of the education provided here is testimony to the talent, hard work and quality of the students, faculty and staff,” said UGA President Michael F. Adams. “The consistently good ranking of our graduate programs bodes well for both the graduates of those programs and the state of Georgia.”

UGA Graduate School Dean Maureen Grasso said, “These rankings are an acknowledgement of the excellent graduate education provided by the University of Georgia. Our graduate programs, which bring together outstanding faculty and students to address the many complex issues we are facing today, are essential to realizing Georgia’s goals of economic growth and global competitiveness.”

Moving up eight positions in the rankings from the previous year, the UGA College of Education tied for the 38th position with the University of Colorado in Boulder and the University of Illinois in Chicago, tied for 29th among public colleges and universities, and was fourth among graduate education schools in the South.

In specialty categories, the college had six programs ranked in the Top 10 and three more in the Top 21—making it one of the few graduate education programs in the nation ranked in nine of 10 categories. (Last year’s ranking is in parentheses.)

In the Top 10
2nd      Counseling/Personnel Services (2)
2nd      Vocational/Technical Education (2)
5th       Elementary Education (6)
5th       Higher Education (5)
5th       Secondary Education (5)
10th     Curriculum/Instruction (11)

In the Top 21
13th     Special Education (16)
19th     Educational Psychology (14)
21st     Administration/Supervision (19)

In addition, UGA’s Speech-Language  Pathology program was ranked 52nd, down from 46th, in Health Program rankings which are surveyed only every few years.

“To be recognized among the best education colleges in the country affirms the quality of our graduate programs and the tremendous productivity of our faculty,” said Arthur M. “Andy” Horne, dean and Distinguished Research Professor in the College of Education. “Equally important, however, is our profound commitment to make a positive difference in the lives of children and families in Georgia by preparing world-class education and health professionals.”

While coming in at 34th overall, UGA’s School of Law was ranked among the top 13 public law schools in the nation and among the top three public schools in the Southeast. Each of these rankings was up one position from last year.

The graduate program in the Terry College of Business tied for the 57th ranking with George Washington University, the University of Arizona and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

“We continue to see improvement in the placement of our graduates from our full-time MBA program,” said Robert Sumachrist, dean of the college. “I am proud that Terry continues to be ranked among the country’s best.”

The School of Public and International Affairs’ master of public administration degree program continues to be ranked fourth in the nation. SPIA also has two highly ranked specialty programs. The specialization in public finance and budgeting as well as the specialization in public management and administration are ranked fifth and second respectively.

The doctorate program in the College of Veterinary Medicine program was ranked in 2011 and tied for ninth position with Michigan State University and the University of Minnesota. “We are honored to be listed among the top 10 colleges of veterinary medicine in the country, as compiled by U.S. News & World Report,” said Sheila W. Allen, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “We are proud of the accomplishments made by our students, faculty, staff and alumni, and it is to them that we owe thanks for this great recognition.”

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences continued to have a major presence in the rankings.  The master of fine arts programs was tied for the 22nd position with five other leading institutions in the nation, up 11positions from last year. Ranked in 2011, its graduate programs in psychology and the biological sciences program were listed in the 50th position and 46th ranking respectively.

“Successful graduate programs are crucial to the overall success of the university and these rankings are welcome indicators on the vibrancy of our programs,” said Hugh Ruppersburg, interim dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “The diversity of disciplines represented in these rankings reflects a strategic vision for excellence that stretches across Franklin College. That is the result of efforts of many faculty and staff working to make sure UGA is among the best and most competitive American universities.”

The rankings, with methodology used by U.S. News & World Report, are available online at
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools. Highlights of the graduate school rankings will be published in the Best Graduate Schools 2012 edition.