Emory's medical, law and business schools again are among the Top 25 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report's 2005 edition of its "America's Best Graduate Schools" guide. The rankings were reported in the April 5 issue of U.S. News .

The School of Medicine is ranked 19th among research-oriented medical schools; Goizueta Business School (GBS) is ranked 19th (up from 21st in 2003); and the School of Law is ranked 23rd (up from 27th last year).

Emory's joint program in biomedical engineering, launched in cooperation with Georgia Tech in 1997, moved up four spots to rank second in the nation.

"I don't know of any precedent for a program that has gone from nonexistence to the top of its field in less than seven years," said Michael Johns, executive vice president for health affairs and CEO of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center. "This is a tribute to the academic leadership at both Emory and Georgia Tech, and to the high quality of faculty and graduate students who have been recruited to Atlanta."

Emory's doctoral program in clinical psychology ranked 20th (up from 25th in 2001, the last time it was surveyed). "This speaks to our diverse and growing strengths in developmental psychopathology, biological approaches to psychiatric disorders, personality and personality disorders, and clinical training from multiple theoretical standpoints," said Drew Westen, program director.

In other surveys new this year, Goizueta's W. Cliff Oxford Executive MBA Program was 10th in the nation, joining its other top 10 rankings in Financial Times and Business Week; the evening MBA program ranked 14th. The law school's trial advocacy program ranked seventh and tax law 22nd.

Also ranked was medicine's physical therapy program (eighth). Emory's medical specialty programs in AIDS ranked 15th and internal medicine 21st. Emory ranked 42nd among primary care-oriented medical schools.

Several health-related programs were not surveyed this year; consequently the Rollins School of Public Health holds its ninth-place ranking nationally and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing remains 26th, with its nursing midwifery program ranks seventh. Emory's physician assistant program remains third in the nation.

"It is gratifying to be included in the top 20," said Tom Lawley, dean of the medical school. "We also were pleased at the recognition for our medical specialty programs in AIDS and in internal medicine."

Referring to the highly ranked master's programs for physician assistants and physical therapy, Lawley noted that while Emory continues to be noted "for the strength of our research enterprise, we also are very proud of our nationally ranked programs in the allied health professions. Therapists and physician assistants in many cases are the actual hands of healing experienced by patients."

Law Dean Tom Arthur attributed the rise in the school's ranking to more selective admissions and the hiring of six new faculty, including two Woodruff professors. "We are building the law school that will produce the lawyers and leaders for the 21st century, and we are pleased that our progress is beginning to be recognized," he said.

GBS Dean Tom Robertson said the rankings continue Goizueta's trajectory as "the business school of the future." The school has been in the Top 25 since 1994.

"We have a results-driven mentality, a cooperative culture and innovative new programs and curricula," he said.