UCI graduate programs among top 50 nationwide in new rankings

Irvine, Calif., March 11, 2014 – Graduate school rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report show UC Irvine programs consistently among the top 50 in the nation.

Ranked higher this year than last are the full-time MBA program in The Paul Merage School of Business; two programs in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering; three programs in the School of Physical Sciences; and the School of Education.

The full-time MBA program rose from 49^th to 45^th on the list, while the part-time MBA program came in 46^th. Interim Dean Rajeev Tyagi has helmed UC Irvine’s business school since June 2013; Eric Spangenberg of Washington State University will become its new dean on June 1.

The School of Physical Sciences, under Dean Kenneth Janda, saw three departments advance in the rankings: chemistry, which took 24^th (up two spots from last year); mathematics, which placed 43^rd (also up two spots); and physics & astronomy, which edged up a spot to 29^th. In addition, Earth system science was ranked for the first time, coming in 34^th.

Led by Dean Gregory Washington, the engineering school ranked 38^th, and two departments moved up: aerospace engineering came in at 23rd (up three spots) and civil engineering took 36th place (up four slots.)

Under the leadership of founding Dean Deborah Vandell, the School of Education – in only its second year as a school – moved up one place to 36th.

The UC Irvine School of Law, led by Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, was not evaluated because it’s too new to have more than just provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association. Its student population came in seventh for diversity.

Other UC Irvine schools listed are:

• The School of Medicine, under Dean Ralph Clayman: 43^rd
• The School of Biological Sciences, under Dean Frank LaFerla: 34^th
• The Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences, under Dean Hal Stern: 29^th

Rankings for programs in fine arts, social sciences and the humanities were unchanged from last year’s list because U.S. News & World Report re-evaluates them just once every four years.

About the University of California, Irvine: Located in coastal Orange County, near a thriving employment hub in one of the nation’s safest cities, UC Irvine was founded in 1965. One of only 62 members of the Association of American Universities, it’s ranked first among U.S. universities under 50 years old by the London-based Times Higher Education. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine has more than 28,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $4.3 billion annually to the local economy.

Media access: UC Irvine maintains an online directory of faculty available as experts to the media at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists/experts/. Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UC Irvine faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UC Irvine news, visit wp.communications.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.