Michigan State University has the nation’s top graduate programs in elementary and secondary education, nuclear physics and industrial/organizational psychology, U.S. News & World Report announced today.
The four top-rated programs – from three different colleges – represent the breadth of MSU’s graduate education recognized in the magazine’s 2014 edition of Best Graduate Schools.
A deeper look finds supply chain/logistics at No. 2, African history at No. 3 and veterinary medicine at No. 9.
Within the College of Education, the elementary and secondary graduate education programs have both ranked No. 1 for 19 years in a row.
The college, which was No. 15 overall, has five programs ranked first or second – more top-two programs than any other education school in the country.
The overall college ranking reflects the quality of the curriculum, faculty, students and research within the college, as well as data from surveys of education deans and school superintendents nationwide. The individual program rankings are based on the survey of deans.
“We continue to be a leader among education schools across the country,” said Donald Heller, dean of the College of Education. "And the number one reason for this is our people – the faculty, students and staff who contribute to our excellence. While many people know of our long-standing, No. 1 ranking in elementary and secondary education, I am particularly pleased that my fellow deans across the country have recognized the high quality of a number of our academic programs.”
For the fourth straight year, MSU nuclear physics garnered the No. 1 spot in the graduate rankings. Nuclear physics research has been an MSU mainstay since 1958. Michigan State is home to the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, a world-leading laboratory for rare isotope research and nuclear science education. MSU also is designing and building the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams, a new national user facility for nuclear science funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, MSU and the state of Michigan.
"Being ranked at No. 1 for the fourth year in a row reflects a tremendous amount of hard work from our faculty and staff, and it highlights the success achieved by our graduates, inside and outside of academia," said Wolfgang Bauer, chairperson of the MSU Department of Physics and Astronomy. "This success is something that the MSU community can be very proud of."
MSU’s graduate program in industrial and organizational psychology, which has been No. 1 since 1998, explores worker performance and satisfaction as a function of training, performance evaluation and other issues.
Here’s a look at specific rankings (list includes rankings of colleges, when given, and programs within colleges):
Education:
College of Education: 15
Elementary education: 1
Secondary education: 1
Curriculum/instruction: 2
Rehabilitation counseling: 2
Higher education administration: 2
Educational psychology: 7
Administration/supervision: 9
Education policy: 11
Online graduate degrees: 23
Sciences
Nuclear physics: 1
Physics: 36
Chemistry: 38
Mathematics: 43
Statistics: 44
Biological sciences: 46
Computer science: 58
Earth sciences: 69
Business
Broad College of Business: 43
Supply chain/logistics: 2
International: 16
Accounting: 16
Social Science and humanities
Industrial/organizational psychology: 1
African history: 3
Criminology: 7
Social work: 26
Political science: 32
Economics: 30
Psychology: 46
Sociology: 46
History: 56
English: 63
Health and medicine
College of Veterinary Medicine: 9
College of Osteopathic Medicine: 11 (primary care category)
College of Human Medicine: 51 (primary care category)
Rural medicine: 13
College of Nursing: 36
Nursing-anesthesia: 32
Clinical psychology: 47
Engineering
College of Engineering: 51
Biological/agricultural: 11
Mechanical: 35
Civil: 40
Environmental: 30
Chemical: 38
Electrical: 44
Computer: 41
Law
College of Law: 80