The U.S. News 2014 Best Graduate Schools rankings recently recognized several of Creighton University’s graduate programs.
The ranking evaluated more than 1,200 programs in business, law, medicine, engineering and education —including specialties within each discipline — based on a number of different criteria. Admissions selectivity and expert opinions on the program quality were part of the equation for most programs, while job placement statistics and salary data factored into others according to usnews.com.
According to Victoria Roche, dean of the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, these rankings send a positive message to potential applicants about the quality of a Creighton Occupational Therapy (ranked No. 15), Physical Therapy (ranked No. 16), and Pharmacy (ranked No. 37) education, in addition to existing as a point of pride for current students and graduates.
“High rankings in the U.S. News and World Report’s Best Graduate Schools issue is a public validation of what they [students and graduates] already know to be true — that they received a values-based, high quality health professions education at Creighton that will serve them well, not only upon graduation, but well into the future,” Roche said.
Senior Pharmacy student Emily Deters said she has been through the admissions process and seen the selectivity first hand.
“Creighton does an excellent job of looking at the candidate as a whole and not just their GPA or entrance exam scores,” Deters said. “This strategy has worked very well for Creighton, especially the College of Pharmacy and Health Professions. Pharmacy students here have had a 100 percent pass rate on their boards for the last five years in a row.”
Deters added that it’s excellent to have this national recognition so people don’t have to just take Creighton graduate student’s word for how excellent the school is.
Creighton’s School of Law also made the rankings, coming in at No. 119. Prospective Creighton law student Alie Haflett said that this news “confirms her decision to come to Creighton and reminds her that she will be receiving a quality education.”
Haflett said she did a lot of research on other law schools, but her decision ultimately came down to where she felt she would get the attention and encouragement that she needs to succeed.
“All of the deans, professors, alumni, and current students that I have met thus far since my admittance to Creighton have assured me that this is the environment where it will happen,” Haflett said.
While there may be other law programs that rank higher than Creighton, Haflett acknowledged, the number of students that end up attending those colleges are much larger and students become just another face in the crowd at that point.
“I think I’m most looking forward to the small class sizes and the community that I feel from everyone involved in Creighton’s law program,” Haflett said. “I’m excited to enter an environment where everyone wants to be there and is giving 100 percent.”
Haflett believes that Creighton’s School of Law is much more than the ranking even shows.
“It’s in a safe city, where the cost of living is so low compared to other larger cities harboring the bigger and higher ranked law schools,” Haflett said.