Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 25, 1993 TAG: 9303250196
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
VA. UNIVERSITIES MAINTAIN RANKINGS
The list of who's who in graduate schools is out again, and Virginia universities kept their places in the Top 25.Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, which had lost a bit of ground last year, was tied at 21st in the country with North Carolina State University, according to the annual section in this week's U.S. News & World Report.
The college had dropped to 23rd last year, a move administrators had attributed it to a lack of funding and faculty resources.
The rise in rank is likely a result of an increase in research dollars and doctoral graduates, said John Osborne, associate dean for administration at the college.
For 1991-92, the year used in this survey, Tech's college had received $35 million for research. The previous year, it was $31.9 million.
"It was almost a 9 percent increase," Osborne said. "The point is that for several years the number of proposals submitted by faculty has continued to increase. More proposals are being written; and more, we hope, are being funded." The college awarded 121 doctorates in 1991-92 and 98 the year before.
College-poll time always brings out anticipation among campus administrators. Though they cite problems with the surveys - such as the fact that the schools often are very different and difficult to compare - they agree that polls can bring a lot of recognition to a school.
And they show how the schools are seen by peers and by people working in the field, Osborne said. "The public looks at these and draws conclusions - if you're a top-25 school or not, if you're rising or not."
The University of Virginia was ranked among the top 50 engineering schools: ranked 39th by other academics and 40th among practicing engineers.
The top engineering school was Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by Stanford University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The University of Virginia's Darden Business School was ranked 11th for the second year in a row. Harvard University was first in that field, followed by Stanford and the University of Pennsylvania.
UVa's law school was ranked eighth in the nation, the only Virginia law school listed in the top 25. The College of William and Mary was ranked in the next 25, though, along with Washington and Lee University.
George Mason University was in the top 75 law schools.
Yale was first, followed by Harvard and Stanford.
UVa was ranked fifth for its international law program.
The magazine introduced a new category this year - health programs - because health care is at the center of national debate.
The Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University tied for 13th among U.S. dental schools, and was ranked 10th among pharmacy schools.