COLUMBUS -- Graduate programs at The Ohio State University are the best in Ohio and among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of selected graduate programs released March 31.

Led by an especially strong showing by the College of Education, nine Ohio State colleges are cited in this year's new data. The College of Law, whose dispute resolution program is named second best in the United States, is featured in an accompanying story about that subject, as well as in a piece about rising standards for bar examinations. The College of Education is also cited in a feature story on the need for special education teachers.

In keeping with Ohio State's goal to move to the front ranks among comprehensive public research universities, seven other colleges are ranked among the nation's best: Business, Engineering, Medicine and Public Health, Nursing, Veterinary Medicine, Social Work and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

The College of Education is ranked 8th in the nation out of 187 programs surveyed. The college's specialty programs are also highly ranked. The vocational and technical education program is first in the nation for the fifth year. Elementary education is ranked second, while secondary education is ranked third.

The College of Engineering is ranked 22nd overall, out of 219 graduate engineering programs ranked.

The Fisher College of Business is ranked 25th in the nation out of 325 institutions with MBA programs. The production/operations management program is rated 10th best in the nation.

The U.S. News rankings are based on a formula that weighs several criteria, including how selective a program is in admitting applicants, faculty resources, institutional reputation and research activity. A ranking in the top tier can mean more success for institutions as they recruit graduate students in a highly competitive environment.

"Ohio State's rankings are great news," says Susan Huntington, dean of the Graduate School. "We continue to do extremely well against public universities nationally, and the competition to move up is very intense. We are being compared to hundreds of schools and are placing in the top five to 10 percent."

Rankings of graduate schools and doctoral programs released for this year cover only a small portion of the programs offered at Ohio State and other U.S. institutions. The magazine does not rank all programs each year and reprints earlier years' ratings in some fields. In addition to the new rankings listed here, previous U.S. News guides have given high marks to Ohio State's graduate programs in architecture, fine arts, ceramics, chemistry, creative writing, drama, economics, English, history, music, number theory, paleontology, pharmacy, physics, political science, psychology, public policy and sociology. Here are the Graduate Program rankings (information on the number of programs in comparison pool is included where provided by U.S. News):

· College of Education: Ohio State ranked 8th overall out of 187 graduate education programs. Specialty programs in vocational/technical education and higher education administration ranked 1st; elementary education ranked 2nd, secondary teacher education ranked 3rd, administration/supervision ranked 6th, counseling/personnel services ranked 4th and curriculum/instruction ranked 9th.

· College of Business: ranked 25th overall among 325 institutions with MBA programs. The Fisher College of Business program in Production/Operations Management ranked 10th.

· College of Engineering: Ohio State ranked 22nd overall out of 219 graduate engineering programs. Specialty programs in nuclear engineering and industrial/manufacturing engineering were ranked 14th, materials science and aeronautical and aerospace engineering both ranked 17th, mechanical engineering ranked 19th, civil engineering ranked 23rd, chemical engineering ranked 24th and electrical engineering ranked 26th.

· College of Law: The College of Law ranked 37th in the nation out of 174 ABA-accredited law schools. Specialty programs in dispute resolution ranked 2nd, health law ranked 13th.

· College of Medicine and Public Health: ranked 40th overall among 125 accredited medical schools. Harvard University ranked first. Ohio State's specialty program in primary care ranked 42nd. The master's program in health services management and policy ranked 12th.

· College of Nursing: Ohio State's program ranked 21st best in the nation out of 204 accredited institutions. The specialty program in nursing specialist adult medical/surgical was ranked 9th.

· College of Veterinary Medicine: Ohio State ranked 6th overall out of 27 AVMA-accredited schools.

· College of Social Work: Ranked 33rd among 70 accredited institutions.

· College of Social and Behavioral Sciences: Ohio State ranked 13th in audiology among 66 accredited programs, and 15th in speech and hearing science among 119 accredited programs.

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