KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and its programs continue to be counted among the nation’s top public research universities, according to national rankings released this week.
• U.S. News and World Report today ranked the College of Engineering’s undergraduate program 34th among national public universities. U.S. News ranked the College of Business Administration’s undergraduate program 36th among national public universities, and its supply chain management/logistics program was 8th nationally, up two spots from last year. The magazine ranked UT overall among the top 50 public universities and 96th out of 262 selected American universities that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctorate degrees.
• Forbes Inc. today ranked UT’s MBA program in the College of Business Administration 9th among public programs. UT was ahead of programs at universities such as Vanderbilt, Georgetown, Indiana and Wake Forest.
• Kaplan Publishing ranked UT as one of the nation’s top 25 “cutting edge schools” in a recent guide to colleges.
“Taken as a whole, it’s clear UT and its academic programs are counted among the best in the country,” Chancellor Loren Crabtree said.
“Rankings are important in the marketplace, and it’s gratifying to be included with these other great universities. At the same time, you have to take rankings with a grain of salt. We can never set our priorities based on these rankings, but rather serving our students and the state of Tennessee with the best education possible.”
The undergraduate engineering program climbed to 34th in U.S. News’ list, gaining momentum with the construction of the $37.5 million Min Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building funded in part by a gift from Kao, one of the college’s most successful alumni.
“We credit this change to many factors, including better student quality, higher admission standards and the ongoing efforts of many of our outstanding faculty members. In the future, we look forward to even greater gains in our ranking status,” said Way Kuo, dean of engineering and University Distinguished Professor.
U.S. News ranked the College of Business Administration’s supply chain management/logistics program 8th, ahead of the same program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Overall, UT’s undergraduate business program was ranked 36th.
The MBA program was ranked 24th nationally by Forbes and was included on the list for the first time. The magazine’s rankings were compiled using the average return on investment “by comparing the cost of attaining an MBA – foregone income and tuition — to the prospect of a bigger salary.” For more, visit http://www.forbes.com.
“We are honored to be named to Forbes’ prestigious list. This ranking reflects our commitment to delivering leadership in education among our faculty, staff, and partner companies. It reinforces the increased levels of national attention we have seen among our students, recruiters, and employers,” said Jan Williams, dean and professor of the College of Business Administration.
U.S. News ranked the Knoxville campus 45th among national public institutions, tying with peers such as Auburn University, the University of Arizona and the University of California-Riverside. Last year, UT was 39th.
UT Knoxville was the only public institution in Tennessee ranked in U.S. News’ 2008 list of top-tier universities and colleges. Among public universities in the South offering bachelor’s and master’s degrees, UT Chattanooga ranked 13th and UT Martin was tied for 20th. U.S. News ranked Vanderbilt 19th among national universities. For more, visit http://www.usnews.com.
Kaplan Publishing’s new “You are Here: a Guide to Over 380 Colleges and Unlimited Paths to Your Future,” placed UT as one of 25 cutting-edge schools tied to one or more of the 50 hottest career choices. For more, visit http://www.kaplanpublishing.com.
University of Tennessee Libraries also was rated among the best in the nation in the most recent rankings by the Association of Research Libraries. UT was 31 out of 113 ARL libraries, up from 47 in last year’s list.
U.S. News released in March its list of the nation’s best graduate programs. The College of Engineering’s overall graduate program ranked 66th, and its graduate program in nuclear engineering was 12th. The materials engineering program came in at 52nd.
The College of Business Administration’s supply chain and logistics graduate program was 10th in the list by U.S. News.
U.S. News ranked the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences’ graduate school in education 41st, one place higher than Cornell University and the University of Florida, in the list released in March.
The College of Law was 53rd, and the College of Arts and Sciences’ graduate program in earth science was 70th in the U.S. News list. The College of Nursing’s overall graduate program was ranked 72nd for 2008.
U.S. News ranks undergraduate institutions and select graduate programs annually. Other graduate programs are evaluated periodically, but not on an annual basis.
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Contact: Tom Milligan, Vice Chancellor for Communications, (865) 974-9438
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