College of Engineering, environmental law, chemistry among programs honored by report
CU graduate schools are being recognized as some of the best in the nation. Three colleges at CU ranked in the top 50 graduate schools in the U.S. News and World Report.
Seven CU specialty graduate programs ranked in the magazine’s top listings. The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences ranked 40th. The CU law school was ranked 36th, with environmental law ranking fourth nationwide. Physical chemistry ranked number ten, and there were many other programs that ranked in the report.
Dayna Matthew, the associate dean of academic affairs for the law schol, was more than happy to share her enjoyment in the CU law school being ranked 36th.
“I think we have three things,” Matthew said. “Outstanding students, our faculty and some of our programs are the best out there.”
Matthew said the students are attracted to the small size of their school as well as the low student-faculty ratio. She said they have a strong Sustainable Energy Program, which protects the planet from running out of energy, a strong Juvenile and Family Law program, as well as a national reputation in American Indian Law.
“We hope this isn’t the last time we will improve our rankings,” Matthew said. “We hired some incredible new faculty, we’ve added new international law programs and we have all this new technology in our building.”
Anthony Morfa, a graduate student in the physical chemistry division, voiced his experience with the CU graduate programs.
“I would say that my experience has been amazing,” Morfa said. “All of my classes are taught by really great professors and I think I couldn’t have had a better experience.”
Morfa also explained what it is like to work with the instructors.
“My instructors are excited to have the students and seem really happy to be here and seem supportive,” Morfa said. “I’ve never had anyone turn me away and say they couldn’t talk to a student.”
Ron Le Bel, a master’s candidate in the philosophy department, transferred from Denver University and explained the difference between studying at DU and CU.
“What I liked in the M.A. degree here is they don’t treat you any differently from the Ph.D. degree,” Le Bel said. “I’m doing a graduate certificate in cognitive science and that is the great thing about Boulder. You can do a lot of inner-departmental work and you can jump from department to department, and I never had anything like that at DU.”
Le Bel said that before he even moved to Boulder he talked to the people he knew in the M.A. program and found that it had a good reputation.
“When I began the program the faculty were very friendly and even threw a party,” Le Bel said. “It was a pretty good intro to graduate work at Boulder.”
Contact Campus Press staff writer Molly Gasiewicz at molly.gasiewicz@thecampuspress.com.
