By Helen Stevenson

U.S. News & World Report released its annual graduate school rankings, marking the university’s Gabelli Graduate School of Business as #63 in best Business Schools and Fordham’s Education and Law Schools both at #39. Compared to last year, Gabelli’s ranking remained the same, Law dropped two spots from #37, and Education increased its standing by 31 spots from #70.

According to Virginia Roach, Ed.D., dean of Fordham Graduate School of Education, the graduate school’s ranking of 39 is the highest it has ever achieved. She said this is due, in part, to a recent increase in research productivity.

“The rankings reflect the work and dedication of our talented faculty who have substantially increased our sponsored research productivity in the past few years,” she said.

She said the school’s renewed emphasis on community, national and international partnerships is also reflected in these rankings.

According to Roach, the Graduate School of Education houses two state technical assistance centers that serve New York City, with an emphasis on work in the Bronx.

“I am very proud to work with such a talented faculty, supported by the devoted staff of the Graduate School of Education,” she said.

Within the Gabelli Graduate School of Business, its accounting program ranked #52 nationwide, its Entrepreneurship program ranked #27, its Finance and Marketing programs each ranked #15, and its International Business program ranked #8.

Donna Rapaccioli, Ph.D., dean of the Gabelli School of Business, said the school is pleased that its full-time MBA retained its ranking among almost 500 schools eligible for ranking by in the U.S. News Graduate Business ranking.

“We are proud of the program’s curricular and co-curricular innovations, including technology-based courses in machine learning and blockchain, and its focus on personal and professional development, which are gaining international recognition,” she said.

Rapaccioli said the high ranking reflects the quality of the graduate business program and the many opportunities granted to its students.

“Gabelli School students at all levels are engaged with faculty alumni and taking full advantage of the opportunities that their time at Fordham affords them,” she said. “It is gratifying when rankings affirm the high quality of our programs.”

Within Fordham Law, its individual programs ranked #3 in Part-time Law, #19 in Clinical Training s, #21 in Dispute Resolution programs, #41 in Environmental Law, #64 in Health Care Law, #27 in Intellectual Property Law, #19 in International Law, #32 in Tax Law and #9 in Trial Advocacy.

“We’re proud to be ranked among the top 40 law schools in the nation and we’re especially proud that our specialty areas saw a substantial shift upward,” said Matthew Diller, J.D., dean of Fordham Law school.

However, Diller said the U.S. News ranking is one of many metrics prospective students and their families can use to evaluate law schools.

“Students interested in Big Law may want to pay particular attention to the new National Law Journal Go-To Law Schools report which ranked Fordham Law #15 this year,” he said. “That ranking is based on law schools that send the highest percentage of the J.D. class of 2018 to the largest 100 law firms.”

Diller said his focus is concentrated on the many accomplishments of Law’s faculty, students, alumni and staff.

“We’re hiring new faculty, students are getting good jobs, and classes are coming in with impressive credentials,” he said. “There’s tremendous forward momentum at our school overall.”