'U.S. News' ranks nine of Penn's graduate programs in top 25

In U.S. News and World Report's recent survey of U.S. graduate schools, nine of the University's graduate programs were ranked in the top 25 places within their respective categories. The annual survey includes rankings in areas of business, education, engineering, law and medicine. The categories of communications and library science were new additions to this year's survey. The Wharton Graduate School of Business was ranked third after Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Despite the drop from last year's second place, Wharton maintained last year's score of 99.8 out of a 100 points. "Two tenths of a point is a very small difference," Wharton Vice Dean Bruce Allen said. "Overall, there are five schools that are next to impossible to differentiate." However, Allen said he believed "the important thing [was] to continue to improve Wharton's quality of teaching." Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity said in a statement that he, too, was happy with the ranking. "We are pleased that this report again puts us near the top," Gerrity said. The Law School was also delighted with its rank. The school jumped from its previous position of eleventh place to take eighth place in the survey. "This is the highest rating we have received in the past seven years," Law School Dean Colin Diver said. "Everyone around here is delighted that we ranked eighth. "This is further evidence that we have improved in the absolute sense and strengthened our faculty and educational programs," he added. Director of Law School Admissions Janice Austin said she thinks the increased ranking will have a "positive impact" on students' decisions to come to Penn's Law School. Other Penn graduate schools ranked in the survey were the School of Medicine, which ranked sixth, and the Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Science, which ranked 34th. The magazine survey also evaluated six doctoral programs including Chemistry, Computer Science, Geology and Mathematics. Penn's programs secured a Top 25 place in all departments except Geology. Although the survey results are relatively good indications of each school's performance, University faculty and administrators question the rankings' accuracy. "The problem with the rankings is that a number of the measurements are arbitrary," Diver said. Allen agreed, explaining that there are many possible ways to rate a school and its programs.