Graduate education programs at 278 schools granting doctoral degrees were surveyed in fall 2012 and early 2013; 239 responded, and 235 provided data needed to calculate rankings based on a weighted average of these 10 measures. All schools are listed in the online directory.
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Quality assessment (weighted by 0.40)
Peer assessment score (0.25): In fall 2012, education school deans and deans of graduate studies at education schools were asked to rate programs on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). Those individuals who did not know enough about a school to evaluate it fairly were asked to mark "don't know."
A school's score is the average of all the respondents who rated it. Responses of "don't know" counted neither for nor against a school. About 43 percent of those surveyed responded.
Superintendent assessment score (0.15): In fall 2012, school superintendents nationwide in a sampling of school districts were asked to rate programs on a scale of 1 (marginal) to 5 (outstanding). Those individuals who did not know enough about a school to evaluate it fairly were asked to mark "don't know."
A school's score is the average of all the respondents who rated it. Responses of "don't know" counted neither for nor against a school. About 11 percent of those surveyed responded. For the purpose of calculating this year's rankings, the two most recent years of superintendent survey results were averaged and weighted by 0.15.
Student selectivity (weighted by 0.18)
Mean GRE verbal scores (0.06): This is the mean verbal score of the Graduate Record Examination for doctoral students entering in the 2012-2013 academic year. Where mean GRE verbal scores were not available for entering doctoral students, mean GRE verbal scores for all entering graduate students were substituted, if available, in the ranking calculations.
Mean GRE quantitative scores (0.06): This is the mean quantitative score of the Graduate Record Examination for doctoral students entering in the 2012-2013 academic year. Where mean GRE quantitative scores were not available for entering doctoral students, mean GRE quantitative scores for all entering graduate students were substituted, if available, in the ranking calculations.
For both the mean GRE verbal scores and mean GRE quantitative scores that were used in the ranking calculations, the new and old GRE scores were converted to a common scale. GRE scores displayed on the ranking tables are for doctoral students only, and all those displayed on the ranking tables are for new exams taken during or after August 2011 using the new 130-170 score scale. The GRE data are only available via a U.S. News Education School Compass subscription.
Acceptance rate (0.06): This is the proportion of applicants to the doctoral program who were offered admission for the 2012-2013 academic year.
Faculty resources (weighted by 0.12)
Student-faculty ratio (0.045): The 2012 ratio of all full-time equivalent doctoral students to full-time faculty.
Percent of faculty with awards (0.025): The average percentage of the full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty that held awards or editorships among selected education journals in 2011 and 2012.
For the fourth year in row, this indicator in the rankings used a more comprehensive list of education-related awards and journals adapted from a survey of deans from the Association of American Universities (AAU) and Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI), conducted for U.S. News by a committee of AAU deans of education. U.S. News believes that this is a truly more comprehensive list.
Doctoral degrees granted (0.05): This is the ratio of the number of doctoral degrees awarded in the past school year of 2011-2012 to the number of full-time faculty members in 2011-2012.
Research activity (weighted by 0.30)
Total research expenditures (0.15): This is the total education-school research expenditures averaged over fiscal years 2011 and 2012. Expenditures refer to separately funded research, public and private, conducted by the school.
Average expenditures per faculty member (0.15): This is the average research expenditures per full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty member averaged over fiscal years 2011 and 2012. Expenditures refer to separately funded research, public and private, conducted by the school.
Overall rank
Data were standardized about their means, and standardized scores were weighted, totaled, and rescaled so that the top school received 100; other schools received their percentage of the top score.
Specialty rankings: Education specialty ratings are based solely on nominations by education school deans and education school deans of graduate studies from the list of schools surveyed. They selected up to 10 top programs in each area.
Those schools receiving the most votes in each specialty are listed and are numerically ranked in descending order based on the number of nominations they received as long as the school/program received seven or more nominations in that specialty area. This means that schools ranked at the bottom of each specialty ranking have received seven nominations.
Rank Not Published: Rank Not Published means that U.S. News did calculate a numerical ranking for that school/program, but decided for editorial reasons that since the school/program ranked below the U.S. News cutoff that U.S. News would not publish the ranking for that school/program.
U.S. News will supply schools/programs listed as Rank Not Published with their numerical rankings, if they submit a request following the procedures listed in the Information for School Officials.
Schools/programs marked as Rank Not Published are listed alphabetically. In education we have numerically ranked the top three fourths of the graduate education schools. The bottom quarter of the education schools are listed as Rank Not Published and are listed alphabetically.
Unranked: Unranked means that U.S. News did not calculate a numerical ranking for that school or program. The school or program did not supply U.S. News with enough key statistical data to be numerically ranked by U.S. News. Schools or programs marked as Unranked are listed alphabetically and are listed below those marked as Rank Not Published.
Sources: U.S. News and the schools. Assessment data collected by Ipsos Public Affairs. N/A = Data were not provided by the school.
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