UC Santa Barbara has been ranked No. 14 on a list of Top 30 National Universities, and UCSB’s excellent graduate education programs and research played a significant role in this recognition.
Washington Monthly magazine, which released its annual College Guide and Rankings in its September/October issue, ranked the universities based on their contributions to the public good in three categories: Social Mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students); Research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D.s); and Service (encouraging students to give something back to their country). The magazine’s rankings, in which it takes into consideration what the schools are doing for their students and the country, have prompted the New York Times to describe the list as “more interesting than virtually any other ranking out there.”
The high quality and significance of the research being done by UCSB grad students contributed to this honor. Dr. Carol Genetti, Acting Dean of UCSB’s Graduate Division, told the GradPost: “These rankings are a reflection of the remarkable cutting-edge research that is being conducted across the entire span of campus disciplines. Our graduate students are key partners in our innovation and direct contributors to our reputation as one of the top schools nationally.”
UCSB’s Vice Chancellor for Research Dr. Michael Witherell, who holds a University of California Presidential Chair in the Physics Department and has done research in particle physics, told the GradPost: “When universities are ranked on the basis of the quality of the research, we always do very well. Graduate students all over campus are working on research projects that will transform their disciplines."
Five other UC campuses made Washington Monthly’s list. Topping the list of 30 is University of California San Diego. UC Berkeley and UCLA are Nos. 5 and 6, respectively; UC Riverside is No. 9; and UC Davis is No. 17.
For more information, read the UCSB Office of Public Affairs press release; and view Washington Monthly’s detailed 2012 rankings. To learn more about dissertation year and other research fellowships, visit Graduate Division’s Giving page.
