April 04, 2003 — The University of Utah’s reputation as a top health professions educator is bolstered by the annual graduate school rankings released today by U.S. News & World Report magazine. Overall, the U was ranked in six categories, more than any other Utah school. Students, when deciding which college to attend, commonly use these annual rankings.

For the first time in the history of the rankings, two University of Utah Health Sciences Center programs – both in the medical school’s Department of Family and Preventive Medicine – are ranked in the top 10. The Utah Physician Assistant Program ranked 5th in the nation and the Community Health program ranked 6th.

The medical school continues to rise in the rankings among top primary care schools, moving up seven spots to 40th place.

The University of Utah S. J. Quinney College of Law continues to be listed in the top tier of the nation’s law schools, ranked 40th.

“Our strong showing in primary care reflects the importance we place on supplying graduates to serve the unique needs of Utah and the vast geographic area surrounding it,” said A. Lorris Betz, M.D., Ph.D., senior vice president for health sciences and dean of the medical school. “This year’s rankings pay a well-deserved compliment to our Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, with its excellent family practice and physician assistant training programs and longstanding reputation in community health.”

The U.S. News & World Report rankings are based on two broad types of data: 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 1,000 programs and nearly 7,000 academics and other professionals in the fall of 2002.

The entire list of graduate program rankings can be found on the following web site at http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/rankindex.htm