US News & World Report includes Appalachian in ‘Best Graduate Schools’

By Jessica Stump

Posted March 26, 2018 at 5:35 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University ranks among U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 Best Graduate Schools for its master’s programs in business, education, social work and public affairs.

The university placed within the nation’s top 200 surveyed schools for its part-time Master of Business Administration program and its Master of Social Work program.

Appalachian’s Walker College of Business offers two part-time, evening MBA programs — a distance education program in Hickory, and one based on Appalachian’s main campus. The program places a heavy emphasis on practical job preparation and professional development through practicums, internships and executive skills courses.

The Master of Social Work program at Appalachian assists students in developing competencies for ethically and culturally competent social work practice within the distinct Appalachian culture of the region and across national and international contexts. The university’s Department of Social Work, which is housed in the Beaver College of Health Sciences, is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

Additionally, the university ranked 112th for its overall master’s programs in education and 123rd in the Public Affairs category for its Master of Public Administration program.

Appalachian offers several master’s programs in education, including Master of Art degrees in education media, higher education, elementary education, middle grades education, curriculum specialist, reading education, among others. The School of Graduate Studies at Appalachian, through the Reich College of Education, also offers certificates and specialist programs in education, as well as a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership.

Appalachian’s M.P.A. program offers four areas of concentration: town, city and county management; not-for-profit management; administration of justice; and public management. Graduates of the program are employed in leadership roles within public sector agencies — on the federal, state and local levels — not-for-profit organizations, and public safety and nongovernmental agencies. More than 400 graduates have completed Appalachian’s M.P.A. degree since its inception in 1988.

The Cratis D. Williams School of Graduate Studies at Appalachian supports the academic and professional development of graduate students by offering a challenging intellectual environment that promotes shared learning and discovery. The school offers 40 total master’s programs, as well as 26 certificate programs, three specialist programs and one doctoral degree.

U.S. News & World Report provides yearly rankings for programs in six disciplines: business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing. Data for these rankings come from statistical surveys of more than 2,012 programs and from reputation surveys sent to more than 20,500 academics and professionals. The surveys were conducted in fall 2017 and early 2018.

According to U.S. News & World Report, “the (Best Graduate Schools) rankings in these areas are based on two types of data: expert opinions about program excellence and statistical indicators, which measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students.”

See the full rankings.

About graduate education at Appalachian

Appalachian State University’s Williams School of Graduate Studies helps individuals reach the next level in their career advancement and preparedness. The school offers 80 graduate degree and certificate programs in a range of disciplines, including doctoral programs in education (Ed.D.) and psychology (Psy.D.). Classes are offered at the main campus in Boone as well as online and face-to-face at locations around northwestern North Carolina. The graduate school enrolls more than 2,000 students. Learn more at https://graduate.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls nearly 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.