IU graduate programs rank high nationally

U.S. News and World Report released graduate program rankings March 13. Programs such as health, medicine, law and business were ranked highly against their respective competitors.

SPEA
The IU School of Environmental and Public Affairs received an overall No. 2 ranking, as well as No. 1 rankings for both its environmental policy and management program and its nonprofit management program.

Associate Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs Beth Gazley said she believes there are a few different reasons for the nonprofit management program’s success. She said the school has many students pursuing nonprofit management, with 35 graduating last spring.

“We’ve been doing this a long time, and we work hard at it,” Gazley said.

The program also has more than half a dozen faculty who are also actively conducting research. Gazley said the faculty are very active throughout the country and in the field. She said the faculty is one of the things she loves most about the program, and the program often collaborates with other graduate programs at the University.

“Students get a depth of course offerings that surpass what many schools offer,” Gazley said.

She said the school is working on having a program that is focused more internationally, rather than just in the United States.

“We’re always tweaking with what students should be required to learn to graduate,” Gazley said.

The National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration has requirements for this program to be accredited. Gazley said the program has leaders through the field of nonprofit management, such as Kirsten Grønbjerg, who is involved with NASPAA and creates its standards.

Gazley said the program has a great faculty whose members work well together, and that the students are able to be very involved with planning.

KELLEY
The Master of Business Administration program at the Kelley School of Business was ranked 23rd overall.

“We’re always very proud of how we’ve performed over the years,” said Kelley School of Business Dean Daniel Smith. “We attract some of the best faculty and students in the world.”

He said the school readies students for a variety of careers, with current alumni working for organizations such as Teach For America, International Business Machines Corporation and United Way.

“We are preparing students to become leaders in a variety of organizations,” he said.
Smith said Kelley students take more than half of their courses outside of the business school.

“The University is very important to us, and we’re very proud to be affiliated with it,” Smith said.

Among its alumni are Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and Derica Rice, chief financial officer of Eli Lilly.

Smith said more than 3,000 business schools are in the U.S., and the Kelley School of Business has 95,000 alumni, the highest number of any business school in the world.

FINE ARTS
The IU School of Fine Arts was ranked 36 overall. Brandie Lynn Roberts, graduate services coordinator, said the program is very competitive. The program currently has 230 applicants, of whom about 35 will be accepted, she said. She mentioned the faculty as an important asset to the program.

“We have fantastic faculty,” Roberts said. “Having working artists as faculty is incredible because we can see their work progress, as well. The faculty are really great with being personal and individual.”

She said the faculty bring in visiting notable artists to speak and are able to provide advanced facilities for their students.

“Our graduates are afforded with a really beautiful studio space I have not seen elsewhere,” she said.

She said she has spoken to 10 graduate students about their futures. About half already have teaching positions, and the other half are planning to obtain studio space.
 
“Overall, our graduates are working in their fields, which is huge,” she said. “It’s a leap of faith, but our students find jobs. They’re very prepared for the next step.”

The school also has weekly critiques in which students can show off current work and are able to receive feedback from faculty and classmates.

EDUCATION
Also among top-ranked graduate programs at IU is the School of Education.
The School of Education was ranked 21st overall and 11th among public universities.

“The quality of our students is very high,” said School of Education Dean Gerardo Gonzalez. “We consistently rank high on these rankings from colleagues around the country.”

Indiana Teacher of the Year recipients for both 2011 and 2012 were graduates of the School of Education.

The school is currently working to create partnerships with teachers in which students will have the opportunity to help develop curriculums.

“IU focuses on recruiting the best and the brightest from throughout the world,” he said.

The program also offers its students teaching opportunities in other countries, such as Kenya and Russia.

“When they come back, they have a whole different experience,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said the school focuses on putting students in classrooms early and that the faculty are also still actively doing research.

“They incorporate that knowledge into the curriculum,” he said. “With faculty that are cutting-edge and high-quality students, we have the ingredients for a top program.”