The University of Nebraska Medical Center continues to be positioned among the nation’s top programs in U.S.News & World Report’s rankings of the country’s graduate schools.
The rankings, which are available online and on newsstands, reflect UNMC’s longstanding hold in such program areas as primary care, rural health and physician assistant education.
The annual health disciplines rankings are reported in the magazine’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools. The online edition includes longer lists of some specialty rankings, as well as additional school directory information.
“Academic health centers are impacted by these tough economic times,” said Rubens Pamies, M.D., vice chancellor for research. “They struggle to maintain programs and keep their strength while, at the same time, being cost conscious. Some have had to cut programs. We’ve made a strategic decision that we won’t abandon our core programs and our commitment to rural communities and primary care. These rankings affirm that our programs remain among the best in the country.”
The following UNMC programs were recognized in this year’s rankings:
· The College of Medicine’s rural health medicine program tied for 15th out of 146 programs; and
· The College of Medicine tied for 17th in U.S. News’ top schools of medicine – primary care listing out of 146 programs.
In addition, these UNMC programs are included in the guidebook and/or online edition, although they were not newly ranked for 2009:
· The School of Allied Health Professions’ physician assistant program tied for 14th out of 104 programs;
· The College of Pharmacy ranked 29th out of 101 programs;
· The College of Nursing’s master’s degree program ranked 32nd out of 395 programs; and
· The School of Allied Health Professions’ physical therapy program ranked 33rd out of 199 programs.
The U.S. News rankings on primary care are based on two types of data: expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. Rankings for the health specialties – including rural medicine, nursing and physician assistant – are based solely on the ratings of academic experts.
UNMC officials encourage students to use many sources when selecting a graduate or professional program. Editors say a ranking is one of the criteria students should consider when selecting a graduate school, in addition to the student’s academic and professional ambitions, financial resources, and scholastic record. A school’s size, atmosphere and location also are factors to consider.
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,600 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.