Emory’s medical, law and business schools are among the Top 25 schools in America, according to U.S.News & World Report’s 2003 edition of its “America’s Best Graduate Schools” guide. The rankings will be reported in the issue due on newsstands April 8.

The School of Medicine’s ranked 20th among research-oriented medical schools and 25th among primary care-oriented schools. The Goizueta Business School’s MBA program ranked 22nd. The School of Law also ranked 22nd, while its trial advocacy program was ranked seventh. In other rankings new this year, Emory’s Ph.D. program in the biological sciences was ranked 29th, the chemistry Ph.D. program 43rd.

The figures show an increase from last year, when Emory was 22nd in research-oriented medical schools and 41st in primary care-oriented schools; Goizueta was ranked a spot lower at 23rd last year, and the law school was ranked 27th.

“Differences of only two or three points on the 100-point scale used by the magazine can mean large changes in the place rankings, since so many schools are tightly bunched,” said Thomas Lawley, dean of the medical school. “Nevertheless, I believe it is justified that we moved up in both measures this year, ranking in the top 20 for research and in the top 25 for primary care. We have long believed that our reputation would continue to rise across the board in accordance with the growth in our research base and our accomplishments in primary care.”

Law school interim Dean Peter Hay said the school’s move upward from No. 27 to 22 “is appropriate recognition of the fine work we know we are doing. While we do not make decisions based on rankings, it’s always good to be recognized.”

“We’re gratified to be listed consistently among the leading business schools in the United States,” said Goizueta Dean Tom Robertson. The school has been in the top 25 since 1994. “Goi-zueta students, faculty and staff are dedicated to making this school better each year, and I commend them for their hard work. We are looking forward to stronger gains in the next few years, based on the number and caliber of new faculty we’re recruiting and on the ever-rising talent of students accepted into our program.”

Many of the categories of schools and programs were not re-surveyed this year, so previous years’ rankings remain current. That means the physical therapy program in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine remains third among all PT programs; the physician assistant program in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine remains fourth in the nation among its peers; and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing stays at 32nd.

The Rollins School of Public Health was ranked 11th in the country in 2000. Also, the Ph.D. programs in clinical psychology and history are both ranked 25th.