The latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the top graduate programs in the nation shows Western Michigan University with seven programs ranked among the top 100 in their disciplines, with four in the top 50 and two programs assessed as the best of their kind in Michigan.
Six of the programs appearing in the top 100 are housed in the College of Health and Human Services.
In the rankings released March 16, WMU's occupational therapy program based in Kalamazoo was ranked at No. 32 nationally, making it the state's highest ranking program in that discipline. The University's speech language pathology program, at No. 46 nationally, is tied for recognition as that discipline's best such program in Michigan.
Other CHHS graduate programs in the top 100 are audiology (48), physician assistant (57) and social work (71). The seventh WMU program appearing in the top 100, rehabilitation counseling (37), is a program offered by the College of Education and Human Development in cooperation with the College of Health and Human Services.
"The rankings of these programs show that WMU is a leader in these fields, both in Michigan and across the country," said Dr. Earlie M. Washington, dean of the college. "I'm pleased about the accomplishments of our faculty and the successes of our graduate students which consistently bring recognition to our graduate programs."
"I know that all the faculty and staff in our department are doing excellent teaching and research as well as meeting a critical need for therapeutic services through our many teaching clinics," said Dr. Ben Atchison, chair of the occupational therapy department. "I'm incredibly proud of the work we're doing and it's nice to see this sort of recognition." The OT program in Grand Rapids shares a curriculum and is taught by the same faculty, but it is viewed separately by the magazine. It's also in the top 100 at no. 58.
Dr. Linda Shuster, interim chair of the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, said, "I am gratified to see that, once again, the high quality of our programs is being recognized at a national level."
Another eight WMU graduate programs also were highly ranked among graduate programs at the nation's more than 650 colleges and universities that confer master's and doctoral degrees. The additional ranked WMU programs are in: earth sciences/geosciences (113), public affairs (115), English (125), history (125), education (126), Art (131), clinical psychology (135) and psychology (141).