By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

Two graduate departments in the College of Health Sciences have been recognized as being among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, the publication announced this week.

Both Physical Therapy, which ranked No. 21, and Speech Language Pathology, which came in at No. 39, appear in the 2024 Best Graduate Schools rankings.

The rankings allow the programs to display U.S. News-trademarked Best Graduate Schools award “badges” on websites, advertisements, and other media for promotion.

“A U.S. News badge is widely recognized as a symbol of excellence in education,” said Mark W. White, vice president of U.S. News & World Report.

The results reflect the new survey-based rankings for 12 disciplines that are based solely on surveys of peer academic leaders — Public Affairs, Public Health, Social Work, Audiology, Clinical Psychology, Nursing Anesthesia, Nursing Midwifery, Occupational Therapy, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Speech Language Pathology and Computer Science.

Patrick Pabian, PT, DPT, PhD and department chair of Physical Therapy, noted the department’s graduate ranking has moved up four spots from No. 25 from the last cycle four years ago.

“Moving up in these rankings just shows the dedication and talent of the people in our department,” he said. “Congratulations to all for this recognition — the hard work is felt every day by our students and our community.”

Anne Olson, PhD and department chair of Communication Sciences and Disorders, said it is an honor to be featured among the nation’s best graduate Speech Language Pathology programs. In the last cycle, the program was rated No. 46.

“We are really pleased about the recognition of our Speech Language Pathology program!” she said. “We believe that this improved ranking reflects all of the hard work that goes on day in and day out in relation to teaching our students, supervising them as they gain new knowledge and skills, investigating new ideas and serving clients with communication and swallowing disorders. Kudos to all faculty and staff in our department. They are the best!” 

Taking a deeper look at the numbers, Physical Therapy ranked 21st out of 245 national programs, which places them in the top 9 percent of all institutions. Speech Language Pathology was 39th out of 280, which places them in the top 14 percent.

Scott Lephart, PhD and Dean of the College of Health Sciences, said the new rankings are another reflection of the CHS commitment to the Commonwealth and its communities.

“Well done to all — this accomplishment again illustrates how our departments and programs are making a difference,” Lephart said. “To be among the best in the country means we are doing our jobs to educate the next generation of healthcare specialists — and that results in a healthier world for everyone. We will continue to move forward with this as our goal.”

The U.S. News & World Report 2024 Best Graduate Schools rankings are published on www.usnews.com/grad.