U.S. News & World Report's Best Graduate Schools list cites 11 MUSC programs

March 20, 2012

Annual issue once again has strong showing for MUSC graduate programs

CHARLESTON, SC – March 19, 2012 – The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) has 11 programs ranked in top 100 spots for the U.S. News Media Group’s 2013 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools, published online at
http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools.

One of the eleven programs ranked, the MUSC pharmacy graduate program facilitated a 26th spot finish marking the schools’ continued appearance on the annual ranking list.
This ranking gives us good recognition for the program and for all the accomplishments of our faculty and students, said Joe Dipiro, PharmD, exectuive dean for MUSC’s pharmacy program.

MUSC’s College of Nursing remained a top 50 nursing school, and both the MUSC College of Medicine (COM) and the College of Health Professions (CHP) demonstrated strong program showings and gains over the previous year.

Once again, several of our programs have received national recognition for their excellence, said Etta D. Pisano, M.D., vice president for medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine.  We are honored to be ranked among the top 60 schools for primary care, research and statistics, and are
particularly proud to be ranked in the top 10 for our program in drug and alcohol abuse.  These rankings reflect the commitment to excellence and high quality of our talented faculty, staff, trainees, and students.

As CHP Dean Lisa Saladin, Ph.D. predicted last year, the health care disciplines represented in her college are assuming an even more significant role in the provision of health care as health care reform is implemented.

She remains committed to maintaining the high quality that people have come to expect from CHP’s programs with the help of Associate Dean for Student Affairs Karen Wager, DBA. We are extremely proud of our outstanding faculty, students and staff. One hallmark of our academic programs is our
focus on interprofessional education. Students learn to work together in interprofessional teams to provide coordinated, cost-effective, and patient-centered care. These skills are critically important in today’s health environment, Wager said.

The following are all the MUSC programs and their 2013 rankings:

*       Pharmacy- 26th
*       Nursing- 50th
*       Medicine- Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 10th
*       Medicine- Primary Care, 49th
*       Medicine- Research, 57th
*       Medicine- Statistics, 58th
*       Health Professions- Health Care Management, 29th
*       Health Professions- Nursing Anesthesia, 26th
*       Health Professions- Occupational Therapy, 21st
*       Health Professions- Physical Therapy, 51st
*       Health Professions- Physician Assistant, 25th

Each year, U.S. News ranks professional-school programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine. These rankings are based on two types of data: expert opinions about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students. These data come from surveys of more than 1,200 programs and some
12,400 academics and professionals that were conducted in fall 2010. The statistical indicators used in these rankings of business, education, engineering, law and medical schools fall into two categories: inputs, or measures of the qualities that students and faculty bring to the educational experience, and outputs, measures of graduates’ achievements linked to their
degrees. Different output measures are available for different fields.


About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 11,000

employees, including approximately 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.7 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital,
the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu. For more information on hospital patient services, visit www.muschealth.com.