2003 Ranking of Graduate Schools

Although this has been discussed before but I want share my dismay with the ranking. Many 3rd- and 4th-tier schools did poorly in the ranking. Is the magazine biased? Is the peer assessment biased? I don't know the answer. Examples:

Schools and *Ranking (Peer assessment)
--------- -----------
Regent University 1.3
St. Thomas University 1.4
Thomas Jefferson U 1.4
Southern University 1.4
Texas Sothern U 1.5
U of Detroit 1.5
Whittier University 1.5
Mississippi Clollege 1.6
Campbell University 1.6
RogerWilliams U (RI) 1.6
U of New England 1.7
Touro College (NY) 1.7
Nothern Illinois U 1.7
Nova Southeastern U 1.8
Golden Gate U 1.8
Widener University 1.8
Capital University 1.8
CUNY (NY) 1.9
Suffoulk University 2.0
Pace University 2.0
Union I and U 2.0

*The rankings were based on 5 point scale.

 

Where did these numbers come from? And what is it that they are ranking, precisely?

 

Good question. With the exception of Union I and U, the rankings represent that of law schools. However, the law school ranking seem to mirror the overall ranking of some of the schools I listed.

 

The numbers came from 2003 USNEWS ranking of graduate schools.
http://www.usnews.com

 

From the website, my interpretation is that they asked the dean and 3 faculty members from each of 175 accredited law schools to rate the others on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). The average is then reported as the "peer assessment."

 

Just to elaborate:

Selectivity accounts for 25% of the ultimate rank. Consequently, the most selective schools (e.g. Yale) have a leg up.

"Quality assessment" accounts for 40% of the rank. According to USNWR, such assessment is measured by surveys of the dean and three faculty members of each school. Their ratings (from 1 to 5) account for 25% of the overall score. Lawyers and judges also rate the schools. Their ratings comprise 15%.

FWIW, 24% of the lawyers and 30% of the judges voted while 71% of the deans and faculty members voted. Sure appears as if quite a few of those who were asked to rate the schools didn't really want to be bothered.

 

You can't combine results from a poll on law schools with results from a poll on undergradate reputation, and then assume that it is a general ranking of grad schools.