KNOXVILLE — Three of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s graduate and professional programs in business, engineering and law rank in the top 10 nationally, according to the 2012 U.S. News and World Report rankings released today.
“Our graduate programs are critical to the success of the university and its research, teaching and service mission,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “Our investment in assistantships and in building research partnerships is yielding great results for our students as well as the university.”
The College of Business Administration’s supply chain logistics graduate program is 10th in the country, rising two spots from last year. The program is now fifth among public universities. The college’s overall graduate program ranked 60th nationally and 30th among public universities.
UT’s nuclear engineering graduate program is ninth nationally and eighth among all public universities for a second year in a row. The College of Engineering’s overall graduate program climbed several slots to 70th in the nation and 41st among all public universities.
The College of Law’s clinical training program ranked 12th in the country and sixth among public universities, jumping six spots. The College of Law accelerated to 27th on the list of all public universities and 56th nationally. The college was recognized for its legal writing, ranking 22nd nationally and eighth among public universities. For the first time, the College of Law also was recognized for its diverse student body, ranking 21st among all public law programs.
“We are pleased with this recognition of the continued improvement and strength of both our overall law program and our clinical offerings,” said Douglas Blaze, dean of the College of Law. “The jump of our clinical programs to 12th nationally and sixth among public universities showcases the strong connection between legal theory and actual practice at UT Law. This training means that our graduates enter the legal community well prepared. We also are pleased that our efforts to recruit and retain a diverse student body were recognized. We will continue to build on our strengths to further improve our standing as a top notch public law school in the future.”
U.S. News and World Report ranks graduate programs each spring in a variety of academic disciplines from among more than 1,200 public and private colleges and universities. Rankings are based on expert opinions about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students.
Also this year, UT’s College of Education, Health and Human Sciences’ overall graduate program ranked 58th in the nation and 41st among public institutions. CEHHS’ rehabilitation counseling program ranked 56th nationally. UT’s graduate program in nurse anesthesia ranked 26th nationally, and the overall nursing graduate program ranked 79th nationally and 51st among public universities. U.S. News and World Report ranks health disciplines every five years.
For the second time in the College of Engineering’s history, specialties in all departments were ranked nationally. The college’s aerospace engineering program ranked 44th; computer engineering ranked 54th; industrial engineering ranked 54th; materials science engineering ranked 55th; civil engineering ranked 58th; electrical engineering ranked 66th; mechanical engineering ranked 67th; and chemical engineering ranked 68th.
College of Engineering Dean Wayne Davis said the college’s latest rankings will help recruit highly qualified candidates for the UT Knoxville-ORNL Graduate Fellowship Program, a new program designed to attract top graduate students in science and engineering.
“In view of the resurgence of interest in the nuclear engineering field, I am pleased to see that our nuclear engineering graduate program was ranked ninth in the country by the U.S. News and World Report,” he said. “We are anticipating a renewed emphasis on graduate student recruiting throughout the College of Engineering with the new UT Knoxville-ORNL Graduate Fellowship Program, and the fact that our nuclear engineering program is one of the best in the country will be a definite asset in attracting high-caliber candidates to UT.”
Several other programs are ranked on varying cycles. Other UT graduate programs that appear in the new report for their most recent rankings include:
- The College of Arts and Sciences physics graduate program ranked 57th nationally in 2010. The college’s computer science program ranked 63rd nationally in 2010.
- UT’s information sciences program ranked 17th nationally in 2009.
- The College of Arts and Sciences English graduate program ranked 71st nationally in 2009.
- The School of Art’s MFA in printmaking ranked third among public universities and fourth nationally in 2008; the overall MFA program ranked 24th among public universities and 50th nationally in 2008.
- The College of Social Work’s graduate program ranked 15th among public universities and 26th nationally in 2008.
- UT’s public administration master’s program ranked 62nd among public universities and 80th nationally in 2008.
UT Knoxville ranked 47th among all public research universities for its undergraduate programs in the magazine’s 2011 report. The 2012 graduate rankings are now online. U.S. News also will feature the material in its annual America’s Best Graduate Schools guidebook.