Some of the nation’s best graduate schools and programs are at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, according to U.S. News and World Report’s 2020 ranking.
The John A. Burns School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, William S. Richardson School of Law, Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work, Shidler College of Business, College of Education, College of Engineering and College of Social Sciences were all included in the ranking released today.
The publication evaluates graduate schools on a variety of factors, including acceptance rates, academic experts’ opinions about program excellence, standardized test scores and grade-point averages of incoming students.
“It is very gratifying when our graduate programs receive national recognition for their teaching and research excellence,” said Michael Bruno, UH Mānoa interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and vice chancellor for research. “This reflects the fact that our students are benefiting directly from the world-class research underway.”
John A. Burns School of Medicine
The UH medical school came in at 56 in medical research, and 55 in primary care, an improvement from 59 last year. There were 177 U.S. medical schools eligible to compete for a spot in the 2020 rankings.
School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene
The state’s premier nursing school continued its upward rise in the master’s and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) rankings. The master’s program ranked 56 compared to 87 last year, and the DNP program rose to 81 from 86 last year.
William S. Richardson School of Law
The UH law school remains among the nation’s top tier law schools—leaping 10 points in the overall ranking from 101 last year to 91 this year, with tuition rates among the lowest in the country. It was also recognized for its various programs and specialties, such as number 30 for its Evening Part-Time Program, 30 in environmental law, 56 in dispute resolution and 90 in clinical training.
Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work
Both social work and public health sectors in the Myron B. Thompson School of Social Work were ranked by U.S. News and World Report. The school’s social work specialty rose from 59 last year to 51 this year, placing it in the top 20 percent of programs nationally, while the Office of Public Health Studies entered the rankings at number 89.
Shidler College of Business
The business school’s part-time master of business administration program (Global MBA) rose from 152 a year ago to 117 this year. The part-time MBA program is the only Association to Advance College Schools of Business International accredited program in Hawaiʻi .
College of Education
The college that teaches the next generation of teachers ranked 66 in the 2020 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools edition. For more than a decade, it has been in the top 100 teacher preparation schools and remains at the top for funded research.
College of Engineering
Three areas in the College of Engineering made the graduate school ranking: Civil engineering ranked 76 out of 152 in the nation, the electrical engineering department was 97 out of 186 schools, and mechanical engineering came in at 135 out of 181. Last fall, the college broke into the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs category at number 146 for the first time since 2012.
College of Social Sciences
The Public Administration Program in the College of Social Sciences rose from 123 to 109, moving it into the top 38 percent of all master’s in public administration programs in the country. It is the only Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs and Administration accredited program in Hawaiʻi, offering an 18-month accelerated, two-year full-time and three-year part-time plan.
