The University achieved a strong showing in the annual rankings of the best graduate programs released today by U.S. News and World Report. The College of Engineering, College of Business and University of Nevada School of Medicine are listed among the nation's best graduate schools.

Seventeen additional University graduate programs are listed. Of those, 16 are also ranked, with five placing in the top 100 of their field.

"These rankings reflect outstanding faculty teaching and research and the quality of our graduate students," said Marc Johnson, University president. "Our peers across the country are taking notice."

Among the best graduate schools for engineering, the College of Engineering ranks at number 137 and remains in the top 100 for public universities. The College of Engineering is also ranked among the best undergraduate schools for engineering in the U.S. News undergraduate rankings released in the fall.

The University of Nevada School of Medicine is ranked among the nation's best medical schools in the category of research, at number 86.

The College of Business is listed among the nation's best graduate schools for business, although is not numerically ranked. However, the College of Business was ranked last fall among the best undergraduate schools for business at number 261. The Princeton Review also lists the College of Business in its Best Business Schools guidebook, based on the quality of the college's part-time MBA Program, which Businessweek recently ranked number four in the country.

In addition to these showings in the "best schools" categories, the University was noted in several program and specialty lists, including the following top-100 rankings:

• Number 47 for civil engineering
• Number 60 for clinical psychology
• Number 65 for environmental engineering
• Number 63 for geologic sciences and engineering
• Number 84 for speech pathology

Other U.S. News and World Report program categories in which the University was ranked or listed are art, biology, chemistry, English, history, mechanical engineering, nursing, part-time MBA, physics, political science, psychology and social work.

"These graduate programs and schools directly link to many of our state's major industries," Johnson said. "They are also important to emerging industries, such as renewable energy and health care, which can provide the foundation for a stronger, more sustainable economy."

"We are pleased to see this national recognition for a number of our graduate programs," said Marsha Read, vice president for research and dean of the graduate school. "It is exciting to see that the University's focus on cutting-edge research in areas such as renewable energy and human health and the environment are being recognized and are supported by strong graduate programs in environmental engineering, geological sciences and engineering, as well as chemistry." 

Read noted the strong showing across science-oriented programs, which help create a path to medical school, as well as other science, technology, health and environmentally oriented careers.

"The state of Nevada will be well served by graduates from our other nationally ranked health sciences programs, including speech pathology, social work, nursing and clinical psychology," added Read.

In the U.S. News and World Report annual "best colleges" issue published last fall, the University of Nevada, Reno is ranked in the top tier of "best national universities." 

The U.S. News best graduate program rankings including information about the ranking methodologies.