Edition debuts newly expanded nursing schools rankings and updated law schools methodology

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2015 — For individuals interested in career advancement, potential salary increases and other benefits of enrolling in graduate school, U.S. News & World Report today released the 2016 Best Graduate Schools rankings.

The 2016 edition features information and rankings for the largest professional graduate school disciplines – business, law, education, engineering and medicine – as well as specialty rankings within each discipline. New this year, U.S. News expanded the nursing programs rankings and updated the law school methodology to better account for employment rates among new graduates.

The Graduate School of Business at Stanford University was named the No. 1 full-time MBA program in the country, followed by Harvard Business School at No. 2 and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania at No. 3. The top three business programs were previously tied. Among part-time MBA programs, the Haas School of Business at the University of California—Berkeley returned as No. 1.

In the law school rankings, Yale University held onto its No. 1 spot, while Harvard University and Stanford University tied for second. Harvard is again the No. 1 medical school for research, with Stanford holding onto the second spot.

The newly expanded nursing school rankings – the first ratings of their kind to use reputational and statistical indicators – offer guidance to the increasing number of nursing students interested in advanced practice, teaching and other specialized skills. The University of Pennsylvania was named the top nursing master’s program, with the University of California—San Francisco and Johns Hopkins University tied for No. 2.

“Nearly half of college students see value in pursuing graduate degrees,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. “Our Best Graduate Schools rankings are designed to help prospective students research programs in their field of interest and evaluate the potential return on their investment.”

The six graduate disciplines that U.S. News ranks annually are evaluated on factors that include standardized test scores of newly enrolled students, employment outcomes for graduates, acceptance rates and other criteria. Because each graduate program is different, the rankings methodology varies across disciplines. This year, U.S. News updated its law schools methodology so that law schools received less credit in the rankings for employing their own new graduates.

The complete version of the new Best Graduate Schools rankings, which includes the full data with extended rankings, will be exclusively available online in the U.S. News Graduate School Compass. To learn more about the U.S. News Graduate School Compass or to order a copy of the “Best Graduate Schools 2016” guidebook, visit the online U.S. News Store. To join the Best Graduate Schools discussion on social media, visit Facebook or Twitter and use the #BestGradSchools hashtag.

About U.S. News & World Report

U.S. News & World Report is a digital news and information company that empowers people to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. Focusing on Education, Health, Personal Finance, Travel, Cars and News & Opinion, www.usnews.com provides consumer advice, rankings, news and analysis to serve people making complex decisions throughout all stages of life. 30 million people visit www.usnews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

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