For immediate release: April 24, 2008
Contact: Emily Wofford Cobb, Communications Manager
Office 775-784-6006
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Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology ranks as top graduate program in U.S. News & World Report
First time department makes list in the 15-year history of the report
RENO, Nev.—The University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology is among three graduate programs at the University of Nevada, Reno to rank in the U.S. News & World Report magazine 2008 listings of the top 50 public institutions.
Speech pathology and audiology ranked 46th on the list, the first time the program has been listed in the 15-year history of the report. Also making the report were the University’s Civil and Environmental Engineering program, which made the rankings for the second time in three years, coming in at the 44th spot and the Geologic Sciences program, which was also previously ranked, came in 45th.
“The fact that three of our graduate programs ranked in the top 100 for all colleges and universities, both public and private, and in the top 50 ranking of public institutions speaks to the overall quality of graduate education at the University of Nevada, Reno,” said Marsha Read, the associate vice president for research and associate dean of the Graduate School.
Started in 1956, the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology is internationally recognized for excellence in communication disorders and sciences. As the medical school’s first clinical department, faculty members treat about 4,000 patients per year. The department offers three degree programs, including bachelor of science, master of science and doctor of philosophy.
“I am pleased to learn, but not at all surprised, that our program is considered one of the top speech pathology and audiology programs in the nation,” said Thomas Watterson, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. “This distinction is a credit to the quality of our faculty and the accomplishments of our students. We have an excellent, dedicated faculty and a bright, hard-working student body, so it is no surprise that we have achieved this recognition from our peers.”
According to their website, U.S. News & World Report ranks professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law and medicine every year. The rankings are based on two types of data: expert opinion about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research and students. The data comes from surveys of more than 1,200 programs and some 14,000 academics and professionals that were conducted in fall 2007.
The magazine also ranks programs in the sciences, social sciences, humanities and many other areas, including selected health specialties. These rankings are based solely on the ratings of academic experts and this year the magazine staff produced new rankings of graduate health programs in audiology, clinical psychology, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy, social work and speech-language pathology.
As the state’s only public medical school, the University of Nevada School of Medicine has been a leader in healthcare, medical education and research in Nevada since 1969. The School of Medicine includes 16 clinical departments including family medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, internal medicine, surgery, and psychiatry and behavioral sciences, and five nationally recognized departments in basic science including microbiology and biomedical engineering. The more than 185 doctors of University Health System, the school’s clinical practice, offer care in more than 40 medical specialties and subspecialties with eight physician offices in the Reno/Sparks area and seven in Las Vegas. The school is committed to a best practices approach to medicine and is dedicated to exceptional healthcare for Nevada now and in the future. For more information visit www.medicine.nevada.edu.