NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of education and human development was ranked 5th in the nation for the second consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report in its annual ranking of the leading graduate and professional schools. Peabody’s Special Education program was ranked first in the nation for the fourth straight year, and, overall, the school saw seven of its programs ranked in the top 10.
For the sixth consecutive year, Vanderbilt Law School maintained its No. 17 ranking in the nation, where it was tied with the University of Southern California, and the School of Medicine was once again ranked 17th best among top research institutions in the United States, tied with the University of Chicago.
Peabody’s program in Educational Psychology rose two places to No. 10, and Curriculum and Instruction advanced to No. 7, up one spot from last year.
Other Peabody programs listed in the top 10 but unchanged from last year were Administration, ranked No. 2 in the nation, Education Policy and Elementary Education, each ranked 6th, and Higher Education Administration, ranked 10th. Peabody was also included in a non-ranked list of the top 50 teacher preparation programs.
The School of Engineering tied for 47th overall, up four places from last year. Vanderbilt’s engineering program has enjoyed a steady improvement in the rankings over the past few years, rising from 53rd place just two years ago.
The Owen Graduate School of Management dropped four places to 49th, where it tied with Babson College and Tulane University.
In addition to professional schools, the magazine also issued rankings for selected programs in the sciences for the first time since 2002. Vanderbilt’s graduate program in biological sciences was tied at 28th with Cornell, Northwestern and the University of Colorado.
The magazine ranks graduate schools of business, education, engineering, law and medicine every year. Other disciplines are ranked periodically.
The rankings were disclosed to universities earlier this week. More detailed rankings are available beginning March 31 on the U.S. News website, www.usnews.com, and in the April 10 edition of the magazine, which goes on sale April 3. The newsstand book, America’s Best Graduate Schools, also goes on sale April 3.
Media contact: Susanne Hicks, (615) 322-NEWS
susanne.hicks@vanderbilt.edu