Four UW graduate programs are in the top 10 in their respective fields, according to a U.S. News and World Report survey published March 21.
The School of Drama tied for third nationally and the School of Medicine tied for ninth. The master’s program at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine ranked fourth and the master’s program at the School of Social Work ranked sixth.
To compile the rankings, the magazine surveyed deans, top administrators and senior faculty at accredited schools in each discipline. Respondents rated each school according to its reputation for scholarship, its curriculum and the quality of faculty and graduate students.
According to the magazine, the top graduate programs in the four fields were Yale University for drama, Harvard University for research medicine, the University of Michigan for social work and Johns Hopkins University for public health.
The magazine also rated specialties in medical education and gave the UW first place in family medicine and rural medicine. Other UW medical specialties in the top five included women’s health (third), pediatrics (fourth) and AIDS (fifth).
In a feature article in the issue, the magazine profiled the UW medical school’s “remarkable record in producing primary care physicians for a nation that faces a serious shortage of medical generalists.”
In arriving at the rankings, the medical school was compared to 59 other schools that receive the most research money from the National Institutes of Health. The schools were ranked based on student selectivity, faculty-to-student ratios, reputation based on a survey of medical-school deans and senior faculty, and dollar amounts of federal grants.
Last year, the School of Nursing tied for first place nationally and the School of Dentistry tied for third. Dental and nursing schools were not ranked this year by the magazine.