Harvard. NYU. Yale.
This is good company for UB to be associated with when national doctoral program rankings are released.
A total of 34 UB programs were included in a study conducted by the National Research Council (NRC). This year, the NRC categorized programs in certain ranges and percentiles rather than with a vague numerical system. Many of UB's doctorate programs have received high distinction in these rankings.
The rankings were split into "S" and "R" designations. "S" refers to survey-based rankings, which required program faculty to rate the importance of their individual program's characteristics. The "R" rankings were formulaic and regression based, using analyses of 19 to 20 specific criteria for each program.
The American studies doctorate program received high rankings alongside Ivy League universities in the "R" category. Also placing highly in the top quartile of the "R" system were communication, geography, aerospace engineering, comparative literature, civil engineering, chemical engineering and linguistics.
NRC's comprehensive report can be used in a number of ways. Students can see what programs best fit their needs for a graduate degree. Faculty can see exactly where they can improve. Administration can determine which programs are already strong or which need help in the future.
"I think we're doing quite well," said John Ho, vice provost for graduate education, dean of the Graduate School and leader of the UB assessment team.
UB programs in the top quartile of the "S" ratings are aerospace engineering, pharmaceutical sciences, industrial engineering, geography and comparative literature. The American studies program again ranked among the highest in the country, along with Harvard, Yale and NYU.
In order for any school to be admitted to this examination, a field has to have produced 500 doctorates within the five years prior to the 2004-05 academic year. Moreover, the field had to be offered by at least 25 universities. The study dwindled the thousands upon thousands of universities to 212 of the most successful ones.
UB is focusing on several ways to maintain its standard of excellence and also improve in the future. UB 2020 remains a viable goal and, along with other specific areas, investment in faculty is also important.
"Faculty is the key," Ho said. "They bring new capabilities and areas of research."
Students have noticed the difference that a dedicated faculty can have on their education.
"I think a lot of professors [at UB] are a lot more qualified than some out-of-state colleges' [professors]," said Josh Gordon, a senior photography and political science major. "When I have some professors that are really qualified they influence me more."
With the number of cuts to program funding, the need to maintain or improve UB's doctorate programs may clash with the limited finances.
"There is no question that the state's financial situation has made it difficult to carry out our plans at UB," Ho said. "All we can do now is become more efficient. Do more with less. The hope is that the economy will improve and increase momentum."
The methodology of the NRC studies tries to encompass a broad range of criteria that may or may not be relevant to everyone who looks at the results.
"I don't think that the number of students that get doctorates is accurate enough," said Alyssa D'Alessandro, a sophomore biological sciences major. "Students should get more one-on-one [experience] with their professors to increase the communication between the two."
Ho explained that even though there are uncertainties, the UB departments would use the data to stay on top of the rankings and improve any weaknesses.
"It depends [on] where the data shows that we [as a university] need to do better," Ho said. "For example, if the faculty publication rate isn't adequate, the department has to make plans to improve its research accordingly."
The review is the first set of rankings released by NRC since 1993. A complete national list of universities and programs can be accessed at the NRC's website.
