U.S. News ranks Wright State graduate programs among best in the nation

U.S. News & World Report has included Wright State University’s graduate programs in medicine, engineering, computer science, public health, public administration, mathematics and business among the best in the nation for 2023–2024.

The Best Graduate Schools rankings were based on expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators that measured the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students.

The Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine was ranked 79 overall for Primary Care putting it above some of the nation’s top-10 ranked medical schools in that category, including Johns Hopkins, Yale, Duke and Columbia University.

The Boonshoft School of Medicine was also ranked 13 on the Diversity Index, which tracks enrollment from underrepresented minorities; 70 on the HPSA Measure, which tracks graduates serving in health professional shortage areas; 44 in the Rural Measure category, which tracks graduates practicing direct patient care in rural areas; and 110 in the Research category.

“The rankings provide further evidence that Boonshoft School of Medicine is meeting its mission to train physicians to serve areas of critical need for our state. We are proud that we have such high numbers of graduates training in primary care and working in rural and underserved areas,” said Valerie Weber M.D., dean of the Boonshoft School of Medicine.

Wright State’s overall graduate engineering program was ranked 152 out of the schools surveyed. The Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering was ranked, 130; Master of Science in Computer Engineering, 126; Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, 150; Master of Science in Industrial and Human Factors Engineering, 75; Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, 151; and the graduate program in materials science and engineering, 102.

“The graduate engineering programs at Wright State are consistently ranked among the strongest in the state,” said Michael Raymer, Ph.D., interim dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Our college has a strong commitment to our research and graduate education missions and maintains close ties with local industry and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Our alumni go on to become research leaders in the Dayton region and nationwide.”

Subhashini Ganapathy, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical, Industrial and Human Factors Engineering, added, “We are excited to see that we are able to maintain a high rank in engineering programs along with the ranking of #42 in the M.S. in Industrial and Human Factors Engineering online program among all online engineering programs. The opportunities and flexibility we provide to our students makes it a sought-after option to both in-state and out-of-state students.”

Programs at the Raj Soin College of Business and the College of Liberal Arts also made the rankings. These included the part-time Master of Business Administration program, which was ranked 216, and the Master of Public Administration, which was ranked 182.

“The faculty of the Raj Soin College of Business has worked diligently to make sure our program delivers a relevant, rigorous and up-to-date course of study for our MBA students while developing the flexibility of delivery that meets the needs of working professionals,” said Andrew Beauchamp, Ph.D., acting associate dean of the Raj Soin College of Business. “Our students are able to mix and match modalities from face-to-face to totally online to hybrid mixes of the two. We take the Wright State University mission to heart by offering many opportunities throughout the MBA program to empower all students to excel in their lives and chosen careers through integrated learning, research and experience.”

Daniel Warshawsky, Ph.D., associate professor of geography and director of the Master of Public Administration program, said, “The ranking reflects our strengths as a program that is nationally accredited in line with NASPAA’s rigorous standards, committed to student success through individualized faculty attention and high graduation rates, and recognized for job placement in a range of public service positions across the region.”

Additional rankings included the Master of Science in Mathematics, 160; Master of Science in Computer Science, 161; and Master of Public Health, 136.

“The Computer Science and Engineering programs continue to provide a great education for our students as supported by these rankings among others,” said Thomas Wischgoll, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. “There is a strong demand for graduates from these programs in the local region and beyond providing great opportunities for our students

“We are pleased to be recognized for program excellence in public health,” said Marietta Orlowski, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences. “Our graduate program operates in partnership with 11 local health districts, and our faculty are able to leverage these relationships to create student learning experiences that often leads to new career employment and advancement.”

U.S. News based its rankings on quality assessments by peers and recruiters, student selectivity, faculty resources and research activity. The data for the rankings came from statistical surveys of more than 2,150 programs and from reputation surveys sent to more than 23,200 academics and professionals, conducted in the fall of 2022 and early 2023.