Every year, different publications rank colleges and universities throughout the country. In the 2019 U.S. News and World Report rankings for graduate schools, eight of Binghamton University’s graduate programs ranked in the top 100 best graduate schools in their respective fields.

The U.S. News and World Report annually ranks graduate schools in approximately 40 areas of study. The programs with the largest enrollments, including business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing, are ranked by statistical data and expert evaluation, according to the U.S. News and World Report website.

The statistical data analyzed is made up of input data, which reflects the caliber of students, faculty and resources within the school, and output data, which measures how well the institution prepares students for postgraduate endeavors, such as passing the bar exam or being offered a high-paying job. Additionally, the ranks are based on assessment data, which comprises surveys from those involved in academia and practitioners in each profession. Respondents rate programs they are familiar with from one to five.

BU’s graduate business program saw an increase in rank from 2017, from No. 88 to No. 76. Its program is tied with the University of Oklahoma’s.

The graduate business program was not the only program that saw a rise in rank at BU. The University’s graduate public affairs program ranked at No. 59 — tied with Brigham Young University, Cleveland State University, University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Vanderbilt University — an increase from last year’s rank of No. 63.

Brianna King, the director of admissions and student services for BU’s College of Community and Public Affairs, said the master’s in public administration (MPA) program has doubled in size since 2014. King wrote in an email that students are attracted to the program for its job opportunities.

“Many of the projects that MPA faculty pursue include opportunities for student involvement,” King wrote in an email. “Our faculty work on community issues close to home, as well as nationally and internationally. Because of our alumni network, which is over 500 people deep, our students are offered amazing internship and job opportunities around the world.”

BU’s graduate program in mathematics is ranked at No. 86 for 2019 in the U.S. News and World Report ranking. According to Qiqing Yu, a professor of mathematics at BU, the program has seen a recent increase in applications. In 2013, 65 students applied to the program, but BU received 171 applications for the program this spring.

Other programs, like BU’s graduate political science program, which ranked at No. 51 for 2019, haven’t seen any drastic changes in rank over recent years. Nevertheless, Robin Best, associate professor of political science at BU, wrote in an email that the applicant pool for the political science doctorate program has become especially competitive and has attracted many students.

“I believe our program has built a good reputation for training political scientists with strong quantitative research skills,” Best wrote. “While most of our graduates obtain academic positions where they employ quantitative methods in their research, these skills are also useful for our graduates who obtain positions outside of academia.”

Collin Lam, a third-year graduate student studying English, aims to become a professor and wrote in an email that the University’s graduate program in English was especially helpful with his job search.

“The graduate program is quite on top of things when it comes to helping its students prepare for the job market,” Lam wrote. “As someone who wants to someday become a university professor, there are a great number of talks, colloquiums and other organized events by the faculty and staff that are put on each semester for graduate students.”