Columbia's graduate schools continue to rank among the best in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2002 graduate school rankings, one of several measurements of graduate school performance. The rankings, based on methodologies that have drawn criticism from academic administrators, will be featured in next week's issue.

Columbia's Law School ranks fourth, up one slot from 2001 and moving one place ahead of NYU. The College of Physicians and Surgeons ranks sixth, down from fifth in 2001, among research medical schools. The Columbia Business School continues to rank sixth among the nation's business schools, moving ahead of the University of Chicago, with which it was tied last year. Columbia Teachers College is again ranked third among research schools of education. The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science ranked 30th, up one slot from last year.

Several of Columbia's doctoral programs also ranked among the nation's best. Columbia's history department ranks fifth, its English program eighth, its political science and psychology programs 11th, and its sociology program 14th.

In addition, using data collected in 1999, Columbia's School of Social Work ranked third, the Mailman School of Public Health ranked sixth, and the School of Nursing finished 21st.