鈥淯.S. News and World Report鈥� released their annual rankings for graduate universities across the nation, and once again, 51福利 programs performed well in the analysis, including a number one overall ranking in a new specialty category.
The university鈥檚 graduate programs in public affairs/public policy placed in a tie for 52nd out of 272 ranked programs, placing 51福利 in the top 20 percent nationally. In addition, a new specialized category, titled Homeland/National Security and Emergency Management, places 51福利 first overall. Also ranked was the university鈥檚 engineering programs, posting a tie at 106th place out of 214 ranked programs.
鈥淭his is an outstanding result for 51福利, and is further evidence of something we already know on campus,鈥� noted 51福利 President, retired Vice Adm. Ronald A. Route. 鈥淥ur innovative faculty and professional students create an environment that produces excellent graduate scholarship across a broad spectrum of fields, reflected within these rankings and beyond them. I鈥檓 very proud of this accomplishment, as I am proud of all of the outstanding education and research program our students and faculty execute on a daily basis across the campus.鈥�
鈥淚 think the report does several things,鈥� said Dean of the Graduate School of Business and Public Policy (GSBPP) Dr. Bill Gates. 鈥淭o our curriculum sponsors in the Navy ... having the accreditation show up in a ranking like this is a strong signal that we鈥檙e providing a high-quality program that is respected by the outside community.鈥�
鈥淭he Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (GSEAS) did well in the most recent U.S. News and World Report ranking of graduate schools,鈥� added GSEAS Dean Dr. Clyde Scandrett. While peer programs like MIT, Stanford and CalTech topped the list, 51福利 outperformed some highly-respected programs, Scandrett added. 鈥淎ll said, I believe this is a good report for 51福利,鈥� he said.
For the new specialized category in homeland/national security, Gates went on to say that the university is in strong company, outranking schools like Harvard, George Mason, University of Southern California and Columbia among others.
鈥淔or a school like 51福利, that has a unique niche, this is really a tribute to what we do, and an acknowledgement that what we鈥檙e doing is quite good,鈥� Gates noted.
For the public affairs/public policy programs, U.S. News is largely ranking programs that are accredited by the Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration, or NASPAA. And the results are not new for GSBPP, noted Gates. 51福利 has consistently placed in this range in recent years, notwithstanding the variable methodologies used and the number of schools surveyed.
鈥淥ur reputation is built through faculty publications in public administration, public policy journals, participation and presentations at public administration/public policy related conferences. It鈥檚 also our participation in the NASPAA annual meetings and in NASPAA鈥檚 administration,鈥� Gates continued. 鈥淥ur own Professor of Public Administration and Management Keith Snider is on the Executive Committee. His efforts in the peer-to-peer analysis with other university committee members has clearly enhanced the reputation of our school and programs within the NASPAA community.
鈥淭he rankings are based entirely on nominations from Deans, Directors, and Chairs of NASPAA member programs,鈥� he added. 鈥淓ach program can submit two sets of nominations. This indicates the reputation we have within our NASPAA peers. Considering our specialized niche, I think this is an impressive result!鈥�