U.S. News and World Report magazine recently published its 2004 "America's Best Graduate Schools" edition. Several of Boston College's graduate schools received high marks from the magazine, which ranks schools of business, law, medicine, education, engineering, and humanities.
Both the Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) and the Connell School of Nursing (CSON) were ranked 19th. The Law School was ranked 22nd, with the Lynch School of Educatoin (LSOE) ranked 24th. The Carroll Graduate School of Managment (CGSOM) was ranked 41st.
In the health discipline's medical school category, the BC GSSW was ranked 19th. The GSSW was tied for that place with Boston University, Bryn Mawr College, SUNY-Albany, University of Kansas, and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
The number one ranked school for social work was University of Michigan.
CSON was also ranked 19 among graduate nursing schools, tying with Columbia University, Ohio State University, Rush University, University of Alabama-Birmingham, University of Texas-Austin, and University of Wisconsin-Madison for that rank. University of Washington earned the number one ranking for nursing schools.
As health disciplines, GSSW and CSON were not subject to the same parameters as research and primary care medical schools. According to U.S. News and World Report's methodology disclaimer, rankings for schools of social work and nursing as well as many others, "are based solely on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to deans, other administrators, and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools in each discipline."
"Every year, I get a list of about 400 schools to rank," said Robert Taggart, associate dean at the Carroll Graduate School of Management (CGSOM). Ranks for all schools are based in part by peer assessment surveys.
The survey asks respondents to rank programs on a five-point scale: a score of five denotes an outstanding program, while a score of one denotes a marginal program. GSSW received a 3.3 peer assessment, while CSON scored a 3.9.
The BC Law School was ranked 22nd nationwide. BC Law shared this rank with George Washington University and University of Notre Dame. Yale University was the top ranked law school.
General law schools are judged based on a number of criteria, including LSAT scores, graduate employment rate, and a comparison of bar passage rate with that school's jurisdiction's overall rate. There are also two subjective criteria: the assessment by peer institutions, and an assessment by lawyers and judges.
The Lynch Graduate School of Education was ranked 23rd among schools of education. Harvard University was ranked number one. Education schools are ranked based on GRE scores, Ph.D and Ed.D acceptance rate, number of degrees granted, and research funding, among other criteria. Schools also receive a peer assessment, and an assessment by school superintendents.
"The big thing is to be in the top 25," said Arline Riordan, assistant dean of graduate admissions for the Lynch School. "We're very proud of that."
Riordan recognized the importance that the rankings have for prospective students. "We've seen a marked increase in applications from all over the world," she said. "That could have something to do with our rank. We'd like to think that our mission to improve the human condition through education has something to do with it as well."
CGSOM was the 41st ranked business school in the country. Harvard received the top ranking.
"We've been at the same rank for the past few years, since we broke into the top 50 three years ago," said Taggart.
U.S. News and World Report, in addition to their general rankings, lists schools by specialties. Taggart said that CGSOM was ranked 11th for its part-time MBA program, and 22nd for its finance program.
"The rankings definitely make a difference for students," said Taggart. "Students at our information sessions are very attuned to the rankings."
Riordan attributed this importance, in part, to the easy reference that the rankings offer. "The rankings are just numbers," she said. "Whenever you reduce something down to the numbers, it becomes easily digestible."
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