Eighteen WUSTL schools, academic areas and departments at the graduate and professional level now hold top-10 rankings in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of graduate and professional programs, released today.
For a complete list of these rankings, go online to rankings.wustl.edu.
At the School of Medicine, several academic areas rose significantly in the rankings. The U.S. News area of biochemistry moved up from 17th to 10th; genetics/genomics/bioinformatics from sixth to fourth; and microbiology from sixth to third. Neuroscience at Washington University also improved in the rankings, with neuroscience/neurobiology at No. 9.
Karen L. O’Malley, Ph.D., director of the program in neuroscience, said “The Washington University Program in Neuroscience has a long tradition of excellence in almost every area of brain research, from how the brain works to how it malfunctions in disease. What sets us apart is the size, breadth and interactiveness of our program in which basic and clinical research merge from the bench to the bedside and back again. It’s very gratifying to receive this recognition for our outstanding faculty and trainees.”
Maintaining their rankings from 2006 were the areas of cell biology (ninth); drug/alcohol abuse (10th); immunology/infectious diseases (fifth); and internal medicine (seventh). Much of the ranked research involves collaborations with Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and several of those programs are integral to the School of Medicine’s BioMed 21 initiative, which is designed to more quickly integrate research advances into clinical practice.
In addition, the School of Medicine maintained its fourth overall ranking among research-oriented medical schools and continues to rank No. 1 in the nation in selectivity, based on both college grade-point averages and MCAT scores.
“We continue to be very pleased and proud of our students, physicians, researchers and staff whose achievements ensure that we continue to be recognized as one of the very best medical schools in the United States,” said Larry J. Shapiro, M.D., executive vice chancellor for medical affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. “We are particularly proud of our students, who once again have achieved the highest scholastic ranking in the nation.”
The School of Law remained in the top 20 for the second straight year, breaking a tie for 19th last year to claim sole possession of that spot.
Within the School of Law, trial advocacy moved up to No. 3 overall, after being tied for seventh last year, while clinical training maintained its No. 4 ranking from a year ago.
“I am gratified that the excellence of our Trial and Advocacy Program and its faculty, students and alumni continues to be appropriately celebrated,” said Kent D. Syverud, J.D., dean of the law school and the Ethan A.H. Shepley University Professor.
Biological sciences and education in Arts & Sciences, continued to rise in the rankings. After breaking into the Top 10 last year with a tie for No. 9, biological sciences moved into a tie at No. 7.
Biological sciences includes biology in Arts & Sciences, biomedical sciences in the School of Medicine and biomedical engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science.
“It’s nice to see us moving up these rankings, as our goal is to keep on this trajectory,” said Ralph S. Quatrano, Ph.D., chair of the executive council of the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, the Spencer T. Olin Professor and chair of biology. “This ranking is a reflection of the overall strength of the biological sciences across our entire campus, not just in any one department.”
Washington University’s Department of Education — ranked alongside the larger schools of education at other universities — increased five places from No. 46 to No. 41.
Overall, 44 graduate and professional academic areas at the University are ranked by U.S. News in its top 25.
Schools, academic areas and departments not ranked for 2007 and thus holding their previous rankings include the George Warren Brown School of Social Work (No. 2), the Program in Physical Therapy (No. 2), the Program in Occupational Therapy (No. 3) and the Graduate School of Art (No. 21).
Schools, academic areas and departments either debuting or re-entering the rankings include legal writing in the School of Law, at 36, and ecology/evolutionary biology in Arts & Sciences at No. 11.
Many of the 2007 rankings are in the April 9 U.S. News magazine, available at newsstands April 2.
The newsstand book “America’s Best Graduate Schools” will hit newsstands April 3.
The U.S. News rankings also can be found online at www.usnews.com/usnews/rankguide/rghome.htm.