Duke's Graduate and Professional Schools Highly Rated in Latest U.S. News Rankings

Duke University’s graduate and professional schools continue to rank among the top institutions in their disciplines, according to the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

Duke’s medical school tied for fifth for research, up from a tie for sixth last year; the nursing school tied for seventh, its highest ranking ever; the law school remained 11th; and the Fuqua School of Business rose two places to 12th.

For the second consecutive year, the Pratt School of Engineering rose two places in the rankings, to end up in a tie for 31st.

Medical school deans and faculty selected the best medical specialty programs, and Duke was recognized in geriatrics (fourth), internal medicine (fourth), women’s health (fifth), AIDS (eighth) and family medicine (10th). It tied for 41st in primary care.

Under health disciplines, Duke’s physician assistant program was rated first. The School of Nursing’s pediatric nurse practitioner program was rated fifth, its adult nurse practitioner and gerontological nurse practitioner programs were each ranked 10th, and its nursing-anesthesia program was tied for 11th.

Within the business school ratings, Duke was ranked third in marketing, fourth for executive MBA program, fourth in international (up from a tie for sixth last year), ninth in management and 12th in finance.

Within engineering, Duke ranked fourth for biomedical and bioengineering, 21st for environment/environmental health, 24th for mechanical engineering, 28th for computer engineering and 31st for electrical/electronic communications.

In a new category, U.S. News asked the people who do the hiring at the nation’s top law firms to rate the academic quality of each law school, and Duke finished in a tie for eighth. Within the law school rankings, Duke was rated 11th for intellectual property law.

In addition, the magazine republished older rankings for numerous other doctoral programs and health fields, including the social sciences and humanities.

According to U.S. News, the magazine’s methodology is based on two types of data: “expert opinion about program excellence and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research, and students.” The magazine said its data came from surveys of “more than 1,200 programs and some 13,000 academics and professionals, conducted during the fall of 2010 and early 2011.”