IU grad school gets high marks

U.S. News and World Report released their annual Best Graduate School rankings and gave high marks to IU programs in education, business, law and medicine.

James Wimbush, dean of the University Graduate School, said the ranking was very exciting. He said they have a high-quality program that provides great training.

“This gives us a sense for what we need to do to improve,” Wimbush said. “It also confirms what we already know.”

Wimbush said they look at time to degree and completion rates, both of which are above the national average. He said the national average for Ph.D. programs is 10.1 years, but at IU it is 6.87 years.

“Being below the national average gives us an edge,” Wimbush said.

The U.S. News and World Report ranks more than 1,200 academic programs, including those at IU, although not all programs are ranked each year, said David Daleke, associate dean for academic affairs and administration.

Rankings for schools of business, law, medicine and engineering are released each year, while other programs are typically ranked every four years.

In addition, the report does not measure the approaches schools are taking in their graduate program offerings.

Rather, the metrics used include program reputation, admissions selectivity, research funding, productivity and graduate placement. The surveys are typically completed by peer administrators and faculty, Daleke said.

“Our programs are consistently ranked highly,” Wimbush said. “It is because of the quality of our students and our faculty. We have some of the most outstanding faculty in the world in terms of research.”

Wimbush said the rankings show potential faculty a place they can work where they feel they can make a difference. It also helps prospective students choose a competitive graduate program where they can excel in research and creative works.
 
Daleke said approximately 20,000 graduate students are enrolled at IU in more than 200 professional and non-professional programs.

9,762 of those students are enrolled in programs on the Bloomington campus, and of this number, approximately 4,000 students are enrolled in degree programs that are conferred by the University Graduate School.

“The University Graduate School will continue to work with academic schools to strive for excellence in research and graduate education,” Daleke said. “We will do that through ongoing efforts in improving graduate student funding and time to degree.”