MSU Among Top 100 Graduate Schools in New List

Montana State University placed not one, but two, graduate programs in the top 100 graduate programs listed in a new national ranking from US News & World Report.

In the "Best Graduate Schools" report, the magazine listed MSU's Environmental Engineering graduate program at #74 and the Industrial Engineering graduate program at #86. Just out of the top 100 was the MSU graduate Civil Engineering program. A total of eight engineering programs were included on the national list.

In fact, looking through the rest of the rankings, MSU had 17 other graduate programs listed in the annual report. That included Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Education, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics and Public Affairs.

The magazine measures student retention and graduation rates, faculty resources, and entering students' academic excellence. The US News and World Report list is online and a summary of MSU's programs is also available.

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Craig Ogilvie, dean of the MSU Graduate School said in a news release, "This national recognition is a testament to our talented graduate students and their faculty mentors. It reflects our land-grant mission to prepare graduate students with the advanced knowledge and skills to make a difference in our communities." Montana State University in Bozeman offers 69 masters' degree options. That includes three education degrees and 45 doctoral degrees.

Another award announced for an MSU professor

The university has also received word of an award for professor Jayne Downey in the Department of Education. She received the Career Achievement Award from the American Educational Research Association for her work with rural school teachers and students. Downey is the co-author of a book, "Teaching in Rural Places: Thriving in Classrooms, School, and communities. She is also director of the MSU Center for Research on rural Education.

In a news release, Downey, who has been at MSU for 20 years, said, "I want to give our pre-service teachers the opportunity to develop understanding and skills that will allow them not just to make a living as a teacher, but to also build a life as a member of a rural community."