Graduate programs praised

By Lauren Russell

Santa Clara has come out ahead in U.S. News and World Report's article "America's Best Graduate Schools." The report ranked Santa Clara's part-time master's in business administration program in the top 20 in the nation for the seventh consecutive year, and moved the University's School of Law up from the third tier to the second tier.

"It's a reputation in ranking based upon what other deans know about Santa Clara, and they know that through the reputation of the faculty and the reputation of the students and alumni," Barry Posner, dean of the Leavey School of Business, said.

Santa Clara also ranked 17th in the best part-time programs among 218, and fourth best in California.

It is the only top 20 school that doesn't have a full-time program, a factor that usually goes hand-in-hand with part-time programs' high ranks.

In addition, the report stated that Santa Clara also has the 16th highest starting salaries of all master's in business administration programs, both part-time and full-time, with its graduates earning an average annual salary of $90,145.

"I think our high salary represents the geographic area and the great demand there is for talented people," Posner said.

He also believes that plans for a new business school will help future rankings increase dramatically. He thought the ranking would help both the success of the graduate business program as well as the undergraduate program.

Along with its graduate business program, Santa Clara's School of Law was also recognized by U.S. News and World Report for its employment statistics, LSAT scores, bar passage rates and reputation, and new recognition as a second tier law school.

Although the school has stepped up a tier according to the report, Mack Player, dean of the Santa Clara School of Law, said that U.S. News and World Report's rankings do not necessarily reflect quality.

"It's saying that the number one school is better than the number four school, and that's nonsense," Player said. "There's no way that you can quantify politics. It may not reflect quality in any real way, but you have to kind of play the game or you end up in the fourth tier and no one comes to your law school, you can't hire faculty and you can't get money from alumni."

Danielle Stephens, a first-year law student, said the new ranking did not change her opinion of the school.

"We've always been a tier two school and better," she said.

Many of law school's 922 students work in community law clinics and earn certificates in international, public interest or intellectual law, now 10th in the nation.

Santa Clara, along with four southern California law schools, was also reported to be in the top 10 for diversity in race and ethnicity, a factor ranked separately from the tier system.

The report stated that law students graduating in 2000 had a 98 percent employment rate nine months after graduating.

"I think employers do look at what rank you are; it does depend on that, like how much money you'll get after law school and what kind of job," Stephens said.

Stephens didn't think the change in tiers would affect current students, but could easily influence the incoming class and increase enrollment, because it can be a factor in an applicant's decision to accept.

Player agreed.

"It will probably have some marginal impact on students making choices. But don't pick a law school because of that. It doesn't make that much difference," he said.

Although Player criticized choosing a law school purely by the tier, he did admit that Santa Clara played into it.

"A lot of schools, including, to a degree, this one, spend a lot of money on publicity," Player said. "It's like the sweeps. You want to build recognition."

Given the emphasis on the rankings though, Player insisted he would not compromise Santa Clara's current emphasis on diversity, small classes, or other factors in order to influence its future ranking in the tier system.