The University of Nevada, Reno had several notable rankings in the annual listing of the nation's best graduate schools and programs published by U.S. News and World Report in March 2015. Overall, the University achieved four graduate school rankings and 23 graduate-program rankings.

In the category of "best graduate schools," the University ranked No. 171 among the best schools for nursing, up 22 points from 2014; No. 129 among the best schools for education, up six points from 2014; No. 127 among the best schools for engineering, up two points from 2014; and among the best schools for medicine at No. 88, down one point from 2014.  

"This ranking reflects the commitment and hard work of our nursing faculty in building and expanding our graduate programs," Patsy Ruchala, director of the Orvis School of Nursing, said of the impressive jump achieved by nursing. "Now, more than ever, nurses prepared with graduate degrees are needed to meet the leadership, primary health and specialty health care needs of our state and nation. The Orvis School of Nursing is committed to meeting those needs through rigorous and quality nursing education."  

Since 2011, the College of Engineering has climbed 11 points in the "best engineering school" graduate rankings. In addition, eight College of Engineering graduate programs were noted in the annual listing, including impressive rankings in the categories of Civil Engineering at No. 43 and Environmental Engineering at No. 75.  

"This is a very notable accomplishment, and the trajectory of the college is a reflection of our faculty's productivity and impact, and the commitment of our students," Manos Maragakis, dean of the College of Engineering, said.

The University of Nevada, Reno's "best graduate programs" rankings this year were in the following U.S. News categories:

• In business: part-time MBA
• In engineering: biomedical engineering/bioengineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical/communications engineering, environmental engineering, materials engineering and mechanical engineering.
• In social sciences and humanities: English, political science and psychology.
• In sciences: biology, chemistry, earth sciences and physics.
• In health: clinical psychology, speech pathology and social work.
• In fine arts: art.
• In online graduate programs: MBA and education.  

The 2015 program rankings marked a first for the College of Business as its part-time MBA program entered the rankings at No. 153. The College's online MBA program is also ranked at No. 29.  

In determining its rankings, U.S. News analyzed statistics of nearly 1,900 graduate programs. Graduate school and program ranking methodologies vary by discipline, although include expert opinions on program quality and various statistical indicators.  

The University of Nevada, Reno is in the top tier of "best national universities" in U.S. News' annual "best colleges" rankings published in the fall. The College of Engineering is ranked among the "best undergraduate engineering programs" and the College of Business is ranked among the "best undergraduate business programs." Schools in the "best national universities" category offer a full range of undergraduate majors, masters and doctoral degrees, and are committed to a productive research program.  

"I am enormously proud of the people who make this University a top-quality educational offering," said University President Marc Johnson.   For more information about graduate programs at the University of Nevada, Reno, visit http://www.unr.edu/grad. For more information about U.S. News rankings, visit http://www.usnews.com/education.