EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University has 15 graduate programs that rank in the top 10 nationally, including two education programs at No. 1 for the 15th consecutive year, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools.
According to the magazine, which hits newsstands April 28, MSU has elite programs in business, criminology, education, history, medicine, nuclear physics, psychology and veterinary medicine.
Most of the programs were newly ranked for the edition; others retained their standing based on previous rankings.
The College of Education had seven specialty programs in the top 10, highlighted by elementary and secondary education, which both topped the list for the 15th straight year. Faculty and graduate students in the college’s Department of Teacher Education focus on improving teaching and learning through research and training programs for teachers – all with close ties to elementary and secondary classrooms.
“For 15 years now, these rankings have recognized our continuing commitment to address critical issues in education through both high-quality research and teaching,” said Carole Ames, dean of the College of Education. “We take pride in our faculty and programs that prepare effective, global-minded educators for the challenges of the future.”
Other education specialties placing in the top 10 were curriculum and instruction (No. 2), higher education administration (4), educational psychology (5) and administration and supervision (8). Rehabilitation counseling, which is housed in the College of Education, was No. 1 based on a previous ranking.
Coming in at No. 1 for the Department of Psychology was industrial and organizational psychology, a doctoral program that explores worker performance and satisfaction as a function of training, performance evaluation and other issues. The program was No. 1 last year as well.
MSU’s supply chain/logistics program within the Eli Broad College of Business and the Eli Broad Graduate School of Management remained at No. 2 – trailing only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
MSU’s African history program ranked No. 3 in the nation – after not placing in the top 10 last year. The Department of History has offered the program for more than 40 years, although it was recently renewed with the appointment of five new faculty with a long publishing record and years of teaching and research experience.
The College of Osteopathic Medicine was MSU’s highest-ranking college, coming in at No. 7 in the primary care category. The college is moving forward with plans to open new campuses in Macomb County and Detroit in June.
“Educating the kind of physicians that Michigan needs has been at the core of our mission since our founding,” said Donald Sefcik, senior associate dean of the college. “We have worked hard to produce and retain primary care doctors in our state, and it’s very nice to have that effort recognized.”
MSU also was seventh in rural medicine after not ranking in the specialty last year.
Criminology was No. 7 in the new rankings, while nuclear physics (2) and veterinary medicine (9) remained in the top 10 based on past rankings.
For a look at where other MSU programs ranked, visit U.S. News & World Report.
###
Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.