Michigan State University was recognized once again for having the nation’s top graduate programs in elementary and secondary education, curriculum and instruction and supply chain/logistics, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools.
The rankings reinforce a long track record of excellence for these programs: elementary and secondary education programs have held the No. 1 spot since 1995, curriculum and instruction has been in the top five since 2013, and supply chain/logistics took over the No. 1 spot from MIT three years ago.
Eight other programs at MSU are ranked in the top 15 nationally.
Within the College of Education — which is ranked No. 24 in the nation — higher education administration and educational psychology improved one place to the No. 2 and No. 6 spots, respectively. Educational administration is No. 7, education policy No. 9, special education No. 13 and student counseling and personnel services No. 15.
“These top rankings reflect the high-quality work of our faculty, students, staff and especially graduates, with a consistently strong performance over many years,” said Robert E. Floden, dean of the College of Education. “Our work builds on the land-grant tradition of Michigan State University, conducting and using rigorous research to improve policy and practice, and ultimately improving lives.”
The Eli Broad College of Business’s supply chain/logistics program has claimed the top spot at both the undergraduate and graduate levels for four years straight. This year, the production/operations program improved eight places to No. 7.
“The rankings of our programs are essential for MSU’s Broad College of Business to be a top-of-mind school for supply chain management,” said Vedat Verter, professor and John H. McConnell Chair in Business Administration and chair of the supply chain management department. “They elevate our ability to attract the top students who we can place at the best institutions upon graduation.”
In the College of Engineering, biosystems/agricultural engineering is ranked No. 12 in the nation, continuing its five-year streak in the top 15.
“The College of Engineering is very proud of the faculty, staff and students in biosystems and agricultural engineering,” said Leo Kempel, dean of the College of Engineering. “These innovators are working hard to ensure a safe, plentiful supply of food and water, a safe environment, renewable energy and portable health monitoring — not only in the state of Michigan and nation, but also globally. The students are getting great internships and full-time placements with partner companies that value their ‘can-do, team-oriented’ approach.”
U.S. News & World Report does not rank all programs annually. The programs not appearing on the 2020 list and maintaining their top 10 positions are:
- No. 1 – African history
- No. 1 – Industrial/organizational psychology
- No. 1 – Nuclear physics
- No. 1 – Rehabilitation counseling
- No. 10 – Criminal justice/criminology
Each year, U.S. News ranks professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing, including specialties in each area.
The top graduate school rankings in these areas are based on two types of data: expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, students and research.
The data for the rankings in all six disciplines comes from statistical surveys of more than 2,081 programs and from reputation surveys sent to more than 24,000 academics and professionals around the nation, conducted in fall 2019 and early 2020.