Two UNT programs ranked high this year by U.S. News and World Report

UNT scored twice among graduate programs ranked this year by U.S. News and World Report. The master's and doctoral programs in counseling, part of the Department of Counseling, Development and Higher Education, were ranked in the top 20, and the master of fine arts program in art and design was listed among the nation's top 50. Both are top-tier rankings.

The counseling programs are ranked 18th in the nation in the Education Specialties: Counseling/Personnel Services category. The programs were ranked higher than those of any other university in Texas.

The UNT master of fine arts program, one of two Texas programs in the top 50, is listed at 45, with nine other programs receiving the same score. The M.F.A. program at the University of Texas at Austin is listed at 21 with seven other programs.

The last time the magazine ranked M.F.A. programs, in 1997, UNT was listed in the second tier among the top 100. At that time, four Texas schools were ranked in the top 100 — UNT, UT-Austin, UT-San Antonio and Southern Methodist University.

Both programs are included on U.S. News' web site, www.usnews.com, which reflects the magazine's annual guide to the nation's best graduate schools.

The ranking of UNT's counseling programs is based on expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that describe the strength of a school's faculty, its research and the performance of students both as they enter and leave. U.S. News gathered indicator and opinion data by surveying more than 100 programs and 9,000 academics and other professionals in the fall of 2001.

The U.S. News and World Report M.F.A. program rankings are based on the results of a peer assessment survey, which was distributed to deans and department chairs — one per school — in 213 M.F.A. programs in art and design. Respondents were asked to rate the academic quality of a program on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). Scores for each school were totaled and divided by the number of respondents who rated that school. The response rate was 48 percent.

U.S. News ranks programs on a rotating basis. The two newest rankings joined UNT's other top-tier rankings including programs in library science, health librarianship, information systems, city management and urban policy, master's of music, jazz studies, graduate conducting, composition and art education.

BY KELLEY REESE and CATHY CASHIO kreese@unt.edu, ccashio@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• Regents approve senior vice president appointment
• Medical geographer researches spread of infectious diseases like SARS
• UNT parking permits for 2003-04 now for sale through intercampus mail
• Elm Fork Education Center to conduct summer camps
• Staff Council holds its final meeting of the 2002-03 academic year
• Staff awards presented at President's Staff Sack Lunch
• Tips to help control mosquitoes

homepage