Penn graduate schools rise, fall in U.S. rankings

For Penn’s graduate schools, this year’s U.S. News & World Report was a mixed bag.

For the third year in a row, the Wharton School remained in third place on the list of best business schools. Similarly, Penn Law stayed in seventh place on the list of best law schools.

The Perelman School of Medicine dropped from second place to fourth, tying with the University of California, San Francisco on the list of best medical schools for research. Larry Jameson, dean of the medical school, still believes this ranking reflects positively on the school’s performance.

“The Perelman School of Medicine’s standing in the rankings by U.S. News & World Report is recognition of the excellence by our faculty, students and staff,” he said in an email. “Our school is indeed fortunate to have so many truly exceptional people working together to provide outstanding educational programs, pursue pioneering biomedical research and deliver compassionate care.”

While the criteria used for these rankings vary from program to program, acceptance rates and expert opinions are considered for all types of graduate schools.

“In the graduate rankings there’s a variety of different methodologies used and they’re tailored to the different disciplines,” Director of Data Research for U.S. News & World Report Robert Morse said. “In some of the rankings … they are based on reputation only.”

Morse added that “unlike the best college rankings, the people you’re surveying have specific knowledge about the field they’re in … it’s a good indicator to have to balance with statistical data.”

U.S. News & World Report released their rankings of graduate school programs two days ago, with the results showing Penn’s Graduate School of Education also improved this year, moving up from ninth to seventh place.

Andrew Porter, dean of the Graduate School of Education, explained that the school has been improving gradually in the past few years.

“We’ve been moving up slowly in the rankings for the last three years or so,” he said. “To see that we’re improving in a normative sort of way is gratifying. We want to be the place people look to for cutting edge ideas about education.”

Anise Johnson, a student at the Graduate School of Education, believes that this improvement can be attributed to the increase in student and faculty diversity.

“They offer a lot of great support and I feel that I’m benefiting from the program and the information I’m learning,” she said.

Among the other graduate programs that make up Penn’s 12 graduate and professional schools, the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences moved up one spot to 22nd.

“Penn Engineering continues to move forward in the U.S. News & World Report rankings, with most engineering departments posting an increase in ranking status,” SEAS Deputy Dean of Research Kathleen Stebe said in an email. “Our reputation as a top engineering school, attracting world-class faculty and students to our nationally ranked programs, continues to grow.”

Associate News Editor Will Marble also contributed reporting.

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