March 16, 2017

Education college climbs to No. 72 in U.S. News rankings

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale moved up 27 spots in the U.S. News & World Report rankings for best schools of education in the graduate school rankings released this week.

SIU’s College of Education and Human Services jumped into a tie for No. 72 on the “2018 Best Education Schools” list this year, up from last year’s ranking of No. 99. That moves SIU ahead of such schools as Clemson, Lehigh, the University of Northern Iowa, Iowa State, Kansas State, Loyola Chicago, Virginia Tech, Auburn and Baylor.

“U.S. News and World Report has moved our college even further up the ranks of the nation’s top schools. We are proud to be recognized for the work we do, for our fine students, and especially for our faculty’s strong commitment to our community partners,” Dean Matthew Keefer said. “Clearly we are a college that makes a difference in the lives of our students and in the communities we serve, and we are exceptionally proud of these collaborations and partnerships.”

In addition, the college’s rehabilitation counseling graduate program maintained its high ranking, tied for fourth place among all such programs.

This is the fourth consecutive year SIU has held the No. 4 spot in that category and the university has been no lower than sixth since 2009, according to Carl Flowers, professor and director of the Rehabilitation Institute. He praised the program and its faculty, saying the faculty are strong and consistent researchers who mentor their students while maintaining strong publication records and serving as leaders in the rehabilitation counselor education field and its related national organizations.

U.S. News utilizes a number of tools in analyzing schools and determining rankings, including: student selectivity, including acceptance rates and GRE test scores; peer and superintendent quality assessments; research activity and funding; and faculty resources, including student-to-faculty ratio, percentage of faculty, with awards and ratio of doctoral degrees to full-time faculty members.

“The ranking also reflects the solid reputation we have among other colleges of education,” Nancy Mundschenk, associate professor and director of teacher education, said.

The rankings guide includes a profile of SIU.