U.S. News and World Report ranks a number of programs at the University of Alabama at Birmingham among the nation’s Top 10, including primary care, AIDS, health services and nursing services administration. The latest rankings were released in the 2012 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” available online at www.usnews.com.
According to rankings released March 15, the School of Health Professions master’s degree program in health services administration ranked No. 5 in the nation, up from No. 7 last year.
The School of Medicine primary care program rose to No. 10, up from No. 23 last year. The ranking reflects the school’s commitment to produce physicians who pursue residencies in one of the primary care fields. The school’s research ranking placed at No. 30.
The AIDS program in the School of Medicine rose from No. 9 to No. 6. Geriatrics ranked No. 12, up from No. 15. Internal medicine placed No. 20 and rural medicine ranked No. 15. Maintaining their ranking from last year are occupational therapy, No. 17; physical therapy, No. 29; and public health, No. 16. Physician assistant ranked No. 25.
The School of Nursing’s master’s program rose to No. 21. The nurse practitioner (adult) program ranked No. 10, as did the nursing service administration program. The nurse practitioner (family) program ranked No. 12.
Each year, U.S. News & World Report ranks professional-school programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine. The rankings are based on expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. For the rankings in all five areas, indicator and opinion data come from surveys of more than 1,200 programs and some 9,600 academics and professionals.
The magazine also ranks programs in the sciences, social sciences and humanities on a rotating basis, usually every three years. These rankings are based solely on the ratings of academic experts, as are the health specialties.