Rankings include health specialties such as Audiology, Healthcare Management, Physical Therapy, Public Health and Veterinary Medicine, among others.
U.S. News & World Report released its 2016 Best Graduate School rankings, featuring information and rankings for the largest professional graduate school disciplines, such as business, law, education, engineering and medicine, as well as specialty rankings within each discipline.
Rankings were based on several factors, some of which include standardized test scores, percentage of employment for graduates and acceptance rates. Data for all rankings were taken from surveys of approximately 1,900 programs and from reputation surveys from more than 13,700 academics and professionals, conducted in 2014 and early 2015.
“Nearly half of college students see value in pursuing graduate degrees,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. “Our Best Graduate Schools rankings are designed to help prospective students research programs in their field of interest and evaluate the potential return on their investment.”
In the medicine section, U.S. News highlighted several health specialties in its Best Health School rankings. This section is designed to help inform students about each healthcare program, what the program offers and how each school ranks in terms of academic quality.
According to U.S. News & World Report’s ranking methodology, all health rankings were based on peer assessment surveys sent to school deans, administrators and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools. Schools were rated on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (excellent).
Each ranking section highlights the school, its quality score and where the school ranks among other specialties.
The health specialties surveyed by U.S. News & World Report include:
- Audiology
- Clinical Psychology
- Healthcare Management
- Occupational Therapy
- Pharmacy
- Physical Therapy
- Physician Assistant
- Public Health
- Rehabilitation Counseling
- Social Work
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Veterinary Medicine
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, obtaining a graduate degree can lead to higher earning potential and better job security than a bachelor’s degree or high school diploma. Its 2013 data indicated that professionals who held a master’s degree or higher earned approximately $500 more a week, on average, than bachelor’s degree holders and $1,000 more a week than those with a high school diploma.
