by Katy Swordfisk
March 12th 2019
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U.S. News & World Report ranked Portland State University’s schools of Social Work and Public Health in the top 35 of its Best Graduate Schools for 2020.
PSU’s new partnership with OHSU-PSU School of Public Health — only in its third year — ranked 32nd out of 113 schools.
“We’re thrilled that we’re being recognized after only three years,” said David Bangsberg, dean of the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. “Our new school of public health brings the best of OHSU biomedicine together with PSU’s commitment to social justice and community engagement.”
While the School of Public Health celebrates its new success, the School of Social Work earned yet another top ranking. Last year, the school was ranked in the top 20 percent nationwide. The school has been highly ranked since 2012. This year, the SSW ranked 33rd.
“We are so excited to see increasing recognition of the scholarship, leadership and excellence in teaching of our masters of social work (MSW) program — now in its 55th year,” said Laura Nissen, dean of the School of Social Work. “Our faculty and students continue to break new ground in social justice, equity and community well-being. Though our challenges have never been greater in the world around us, social work is proud to make the world a better place.”
Programs focusing on government and urban planning also ranked highly in the U.S. News 2020 list. The College of Urban and Public Affairs ranked 53rd overall nationwide out of 182 schools.
CUPA Dean Steve Percy said he’s delighted to see the dedication and achievement of faculty and staff reflected in the U.S. News rankings.
"Urban policy and local government management, areas in which we are recognized in the latest rankings, are at the very core of our college's academic mission,” Percy said. “We are pleased, as a college, to be recognized for excellence in these areas."
The 2020 graduate school rankings was also favorable to the College of Education’s Rehabilitation Counseling program, which ranked 20th out of 96 programs.
“This distinctive honor is a testament to the outstanding work of our faculty, staff, and students,” College of Education Dean Marvin Lynn said.
Several other graduate programs received rankings in the 2020 report.
The Master of Public Administration: Health Administration degree, offered jointly by the Mark O. Hatfield School fo Government and the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, ranked 46th; the Maseeh College of Engineering & Computer Science Civil Engineering program ranked 113th; and its Electrical Engineering program ranked 132nd. CUPA’s Local Government Management program ranked 16th.
In addition, CUPA’s Urban and Regional Planning program ranked 17th out of 22 schools.
The part-time Masters of Business Administration program ranked 154th. The College of Education also received an overall ranking of 110.
The rankings are based on assessments by peers and recruiters, as well as expert opinions that consider the quality of a school’s faculty, students and research.
Many of the programs are reflective of what U.S. News cited in its most innovative schools ranking. PSU has been named among the most innovative for the last three years.