The most widely read college rankings for graduate programs were released today, and Georgia Tech's graduate programs are again ranked among the finest in the nation. The most notable change from last year was Tech's College of Management moving up 10 slots to number 32 in the business school rankings, an unusually strong surge for any program. The information systems program and the operations management program within Management were ranked 25th and 19th, respectively.

"We're gratified that the rankings are increasingly reflecting all we have to offer," said College of Management Dean Terry Blum. "Our highly selective MBA program is certainly one of the very best and this new rankings lends some credence to the direction of the program. It's a considerable jump in two years." The College was ranked 51st in the 2003 rankings.

"That is an unusually strong showing for any program and I'm very pleased for our business school," said Tech president Wayne Clough. "We've done a lot to invest in the College of Management and we've known that those investments would pay dividends. While rankings are not the sole measure of success, it's great to see such a strong, positive direction for the College. There is a lot of momentum there."

Tech's graduate Engineering curriculum maintained its national stature, once again ranked among the top five in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.

Eight of the 11 programs within the College of Engineering ranked among the top 10 in their respective disciplines, led by Industrial and Systems Engineering. That program was ranked number one for the 15th straight year, an achievement almost unheard of in U.S. News rankings.

In the sciences, Tech's program in industrial/organizational psychology was ranked 6th, and the School of Psychology was ranked 77th.

"Quality and consistency over time are the two things you look for from these somewhat simplistic rankings," said Dr. Clough. "Fortunately, that is what were seeing at Georgia Tech. It is difficult to remain at the top in the nation, as we do in Engineering, and move up as noticeably as we have in both Management and Sciences. Those traits do not go unnoticed nationally and internationally. Our success is the direct outgrowth of recruiting and retaining the finest faculty and students possible and investing in the infrastructure that allows them to thrive. We intend to continue to do just that and if we do, the rankings will take care of themselves."

Tech's College of Engineering retained its position in the elite top five, behind only MIT, Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley. The eight engineering programs ranked in the top 10 are: aerospace (4th), biomedical (3rd), civil (5th), computer (6th) electrical (6th), environmental (8th), industrial and systems (1st) and mechanical (7th).

"I'm very proud of the work done by our faculty, graduate students and staff to achieve these rankings," said Clough. "We're consistently competing well against some of the finest universities in the world. It's important that Georgia Tech maintain its excellence while improve in areas for which we're less-well known. I'm confident that those trends will continue and that our programs will gain prominence across the board."