UT was ranked today among the top seventy-five public colleges and universities in the Princeton Review‘s “Best Value Colleges for 2013″ edition. The ranking compares thirty data points of public and private schools that include cost, financial aid, and other student and academic metrics. The top colleges and universities were selected from more than 650 institutions.

Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said it is rewarding to have the university recognized for the value it offers to its students, their parents, and the citizens of Tennessee.

“Many of our goals in our Top 25 journey relate to academic quality and the overall student experience,” Cheek said. “We’re focused on supporting our students so that they graduate in four years and minimize their overall costs.”

For the second year in a row, UT’s diversity and welcoming environment were recognized in the rankings. The publication’s survey of UT students included feedback that at UT “there’s a great sense of unity,” a “welcoming campus environment,” and faculty who “try extremely hard to encourage acceptance of several kinds of diversity.”

The university “provides a family-like atmosphere full of opportunity and support,” combining “the best of both worlds: great education at a great price, sports, social life, and a ton of extracurriculars to choose from,” according to the students.

Almost all entering Tennessee freshmen at UT qualify for a Hope Scholarship, and they continue to receive the funds as long as they attend classes full time and maintain required grade point averages. Hope Scholarship funds cover close to half of an in-state student’s tuition and fees.

A wide variety of need-based and merit scholarships help cover the rest of a student’s expenses. The Pledge Scholarship is available to students whose family’s annual gross income is $40,000 or less. The Promise Scholarship is available to students in Tennessee high schools who historically have been under-represented on the Knoxville campus.

The Princeton Review is an educational services company known for its test-prep courses, university admission services, and its annual college, business, and law school rankings.

The “Best Value Colleges for 2013″ rankings are available on the USA Today website.

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C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, primmc@utk.edu)

The 2013 Princeton Review’s “Best 168 Law Schools” described UT’s College of law as “affordable, practical, and blessed with a touch of Southern charm,” and praised its “fleet of faculty equipped with real-world credentials to help students hone their litigation skills.”

The college also was listed as one of the “10 Best Bargain Law Schools” in OBABL’s 2013 “The Black Student’s Guide to Law Schools.” The Best Bargain honorees are described as “law schools that give students a lot of bang for their bucks, with distinguished faculty, active alumni associations, and a significant number of black law students.”

Doug Blaze, dean of the College of Law, said he’s pleased the college has been “recognized as conscious of the financial commitment that attending law school requires as well as for our appeal with diverse students, who add so much to the character and quality of this law school.”

For more information about the College of Law, visit the website.

For more information about the publications, visit the Princeton Review and On Being a Black Lawyer.

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C O N T A C T :

Tanya Brown (865-974-6788, tgbrown@utk.edu)

UT ranked 46th among all public universities, and 101st among all national universities, the same as last year. The undergraduate business program’s specialty in supply chain management/logistics is ranked 7th nationally and 5th among public universities, also the same as last year. The overall business program is ranked 27th among public universities, and UT’s undergraduate engineering program is ranked 36th among public universities.

Last year, UT tied with nine other universities in the rankings. This year, UT tied with four: Iowa State University, the University of California-Riverside, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and the University of Oklahoma.

The university keeps close tabs on lists such as US News‘ annual rankings as it continues its journey toward being a Top 25 public research university. The Top 25 initiative includes efforts to make strides in recruiting and retaining excellent students, hiring world-class faculty and staff, and strengthening capacity and productivity in research and scholarship.

Areas where UT has improved in US News‘ ranking criteria since last year include the overall graduation rate, reduced class sizes, more faculty resources and financial resources, and the percentage of college freshmen who are in the top ten percent of their high school graduating classes.

“We are pleased with our ranking,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “We believe we are doing the right things to move our university forward. We have made progress in all the measures we have set for ourselves; moving up in the rankings is a slow process because it’s a very competitive environment.”

US News and World Report ranks universities based on academic reputation, graduation and retention rates, student selectivity, resources, and alumni giving. The list includes 281 American colleges and universities offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

For more information on the rankings, visit the US News website.

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C O N T A C T :

Karen Simsen (865-974-5186, karen.simsen@tennessee.edu)

The list noted the university’s “classic liberal arts core dedicated to helping students find their passions” in an “intellectually enriching environment” and encouraging them to “learn, lead, and grow.”

UT was also noted for its diversity efforts. The university “tries extremely hard to encourage acceptance of diversity,” with awareness programs and the recent campus-wide civility campaign.

The Princeton Review also named UT a “best value” college earlier this year.

The Princeton Review is an educational services company known for its test-prep courses, university admission services, and its annual college, business, and law school rankings.

To view the complete rankings, visit The Princeton Review.

The School of Art’s printmaking program rose to third place nationally, up one spot from its previous ranking. The College of Business Administration’s supply chain management/logistics program moved to fifth place among public institutions and ninth place nationally, up from 10th place last year. The College of Engineering’s nuclear engineering program held steady at eighth place among public colleges and ninth place nationally.

“We are committed to the challenge of becoming a Top 25 public research university, and part of that is achieving and maintaining excellence within our graduate education programs,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “These rankings are just one indication that our focus and commitment are making a difference.”

The annual ratings moved UT’s overall graduate programs in engineering, education and fine arts up the lists that compare the programs of more than 1,200 public and private colleges and universities.

The College of Education, Health and Human Sciences’ graduate education made the largest move up the list to 49th in the nation, up from 58th last year, and 34th among public colleges, up from 41st place last year. The School of Art – part of the College of Arts and Sciences – saw its overall Master of Fine Arts program improve to 45th in the nation, up from 50th in its previous ranking, and 22nd among public universities, up two spots from the last time the program was ranked.

UT’s College of Business Administration overall graduate programs are now 33rd among all public universities and 64th place nationally. The College of Nursing’s master’s program is ranked 51st among public universities.

The College of Engineering continued its upward climb to capture 67th place nationally, up from 70th last year, and 40th among public universities, up one spot from last year. The College of Law was ranked 32nd among public universities. Its clinical training program moved up one slot to 11th place nationally and its legal writing program was ranked eighth among public universities.

Several other programs are ranked on varying cycles. Among the other UT graduate programs that appear in the new report for their most recent rankings include:

• UT’s information sciences program ranked 17th nationally in 2009.
• The graduate program in nursing-anesthesia ranked 26th nationally in 2011.
• UT’s physics graduate program ranked 57th nationally in 2010.
• The College of Arts and Sciences English graduate program ranked 71st nationally in 2009.

UT is 46th among all public universities in its undergraduate programs, up one spot from last year.

For the full 2013 graduate rankings, visit grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools.

U.S. News and World Report also will feature the material in its annual America’s Best Graduate Schools guidebook.

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C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, primmc@utk.edu)

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, does too, and provides strong educational value for every tuition dollar, according to The Princeton Review‘s “150 Best Value Colleges for 2012″ list released today.

The list ranked UT among the seventy-five best values in public higher education, and for the first time, noted UT’s commitment to diversity and civility.

The Princeton Review ranks American colleges based on undergraduate academic quality, affordability, and availability of financial aid for its annual “Best Value” list. The seventy-five public and seventy-five private colleges and universities were selected from more than 650 institutions in the US.

“We work very hard to be good stewards of our resources by delivering a high-quality education in as efficient a manner as possible,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “We are proud to be included in the ‘Best Value’ list again this year.”

This year’s “Best Value” rankings described UT as offering students “the great program diversity of a major university,” opportunities for research or original creative work in every degree program, and “a welcoming campus environment” with “a great sense of unity” and acceptance of diversity. The profile also noted that need-based and merit-based scholarships “are plentiful” for those who apply.

Tennessee’s lottery-funded Hope Scholarship covers nearly half of a student’s tuition and fees. Almost all entering Tennessee freshmen at UT qualify for a Hope Scholarship, and continue to receive the funds as long as they maintain required grade point averages.

UT has significantly increased its funding for need-based scholarships during recent years. These funds are provided in addition to Hope funds. The Pledge Scholarship is available to students whose family’s annual gross income is $40,000 or less. The Promise Scholarship is available to students in Tennessee high schools who historically have been under-represented among the UT student body. Each of these scholarships cover essentially all the costs of tuition, fees, and books.

The Princeton Review is an educational services company known for its test-prep courses, university admission services, and its annual college, business, and law school rankings.

The “150 Best Value Colleges for 2012″ rankings are available at www.usatoday.com/news/education/best-value-colleges.

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C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)

The magazine’s annual “100 Best Values in Public Colleges,” released today, ranks American colleges based on affordability and academic quality. This year, the Best Values program evaluated hundreds of public colleges and universities, then narrowed the list to 120 schools based on measures of academic quality such as SAT or ACT scores, admission rates, retention rates, student-faculty ratios, and graduation rates. Each school then was ranked based on cost and financial aid.

UT Knoxville was again the only Tennessee public university to make the top 100.

“Making the University of Tennessee an affordable and accessible institution are among our top goals, and we are pleased to receive national recognition for our efforts,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “Our support of need-based scholarship programs, such as the Tennessee Pledge and Tennessee Promise scholarships, helps ensure that the best and brightest students in our state can come to UT Knoxville and graduate on time.”

Need-based aid has been rising at UT since 2005, when just 1 percent of scholarships were awarded due to financial need. This year, UT gave 45 percent of its scholarships to students based on financial need, up from 31 percent last year. Merit-based aid accounted for 55 percent of scholarships this year, down from 69 percent last year.

UT was not the only Knoxville-area organization ranked highly by Kiplinger’s. The city of Knoxville itself was ranked fifth nationally in their list of “best value cities” last year.

For more information about Kiplinger’s 2012 Best Values in Public Colleges rankings, visit http://www.kiplinger.com/reports/best-college-values/.

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C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)

The full-time MBA program, based in the UT College of Business Administration, ranked seventy-eighth among all public and private universities in the United States and thirty-eighth among all public U.S. universities.

The Poets & Quants ranking is a composite of the five major rankings including Financial Times, The Economist, BusinessWeek, Forbes, and U.S. News & World Report. It awards MBA programs for consistency across all five rankings.

The ranking measures the overall quality and reputation of the flagship full-time MBA program at each institution, rather than the institutions themselves. The ranking takes into account surveys from corporate recruiters, MBA graduates, deans and faculty publication records, median GPA and GMAT scores of entering students, as well as the latest salary and employment statistics of the latest graduating class.

Poets & Quants was founded by the former editor-in-chief of BusinessWeek.com.

The complete rankings are available at http://poetsandquants.com/2011/12/08/the-top-100-u-s-mba-programs-of-2011/.

“This ranking is one indicator that we are fulfilling the UT MBA vision of attracting, developing, and placing outstanding students who are well-prepared for successful careers in their areas of expertise,” said Amy Cathey, executive director of the MBA program. “We are pleased to be included among this elite group of universities.”

The full-time MBA program is not alone in garnering impressive rankings for the College of Business Administration. The executive-level MBA programs, undergraduate business curriculum, and supply chain/logistics curriculum also are ranked by organizations and in publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times, The Princeton Review, Modern Healthcare, EdUniversal, The Journal of Business Logistics, AMR Research, Supply Chain Management Review, and Forbes.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, craines1@utk.edu)

The magazine annually ranks schools by weighing bar passage rates and job placement figures with tuition and average indebtedness upon graduation.

The UT College of Law is ranked fourteenth on the 2011 list.

“Our focus at UT Law has always been on graduating students who not only pass the bar exam, but are well prepared for the real world and are able to find good jobs in which they immediately excel,” said Douglas A. Blaze, dean of the College of Law. “Our ability to do this, while remaining accessible and affordable, is a point of great pride for us.”

UT’s two-year bar passage rate is 89.1 percent compared to a state average of 85.3 percent. In-state tuition for the law program is $14,462, and the college’s two-year employment average is 92.1 percent. The average indebtedness for graduates was $65,082.

National Jurist identified sixty schools that carry a reasonable price tag and also prepare their students well for today’s competitive job market. UT and nineteen other schools were ranked in the top twenty. Nineteen were ranked as “A-” and twenty-one were given the grade of “B+”.

UT’s College of Law also was recognized earlier this year in several different rankings by U.S. News and World Report.

The magazine ranked the college’s clinical training program twelfth in the country and sixth among public universities on its 2012 list. The college rose to twenty-seventh on the list of all public universities and fifty-sixth nationally. The college was ranked twenty-second nationally and eighth among public universities for its legal writing. And, for the first time, the College of Law also was recognized for its diverse student body, ranking twenty-first among all public law programs.

For more information about National Jurist magazine, visit http://www.nationaljurist.com/.

For more about the College of Law, see http://www.law.utk.edu/.

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C O N T A C T :

Tanya Brown, College of Law Director of Communications, (865-974-6788, tgbrown@utk.edu)

Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)

UT Knoxville ranked forty-sixth among all public universities, up one spot from last year, and 101st among all national universities, up from 104th last year.

UT Knoxville’s business and engineering programs were once again ranked among the nation’s top public institutions. The College of Business Administration’s undergraduate supply chain management/logistics program was fifth among public institutions and seventh nationally, up two spots from last year. UT’s overall undergraduate program rose seven spots to twenty-seventh place among public universities. The College of Engineering’s overall undergraduate program rose five spots to thirty-second place among public universities.

“We are committed to the challenge of becoming a Top 25 public research university,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “Progress toward that goal will come one step at a time, and this is just one sign that things are moving in the right direction.”

Wayne Davis, dean of the College of Engineering, said he is impressed with the college’s rise in the rankings.

“Our incoming class of engineering students is the best it has ever been, and we think it is due in large part to the quality of our undergraduate education,” Davis said. “It is great to see the recognition of the impact that our college and its graduates are having in Tennessee, across the nation and around the world.”

“Our enhanced programming in supply chain management, data analytics, international business, and entrepreneurship and innovation is paying rich dividends and differentiating our programs from other schools. We are proud that our rankings reflect that,” said Jan Williams, dean of UT’s College of Business Administration. “Our college’s strong national reputation is one of our most important assets as we prepare the next generation of America’s business leaders.”

The publication ranks universities based on academic reputation, graduation rates, student selectivity, faculty resources, and student retention rates. The list includes 280 American colleges and universities offering bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

The freshman retention rate for UT Knoxville is 85 percent, up from 83.5 percent last year. The magazine reports three-year averages of freshmen who returned to campus the following fall semester.

UT Knoxville’s six-year student graduation rate is 60 percent, the highest of Tennessee’s public research universities.

“We have put a strong emphasis on retention and graduation of our students, including the reallocation of resources to help them graduate in four years,” Cheek said.

For more information on the rankings, visit http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges.

C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)

Forbes‘s 2012 “America’s Best Colleges” list ranks 650 institutions based on the quality of education provided by the schools, the experience of the students, and the achievements of students and alumni.

With more than 4,000 colleges in the United States, the schools that appear in the Forbes rankings represent the top 20 percent of the nation’s four-year undergraduate institutions. UT Knoxville is ranked 512 out of 650.

“We strive to offer our students the best education possible and fill their lives with opportunity,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “This distinction and its selection criteria–education quality, student experiences and alumni and current student achievements–shows we are succeeding in doing this for our students. We will work to continue to raise the bar.”

The survey results were compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity (CCAP). The center used data from a variety of sources, including student evaluations, number of prominent alumni, average amount of student debt at graduation, percentage of students graduating in four years, and the number of students or faculty winning such national awards as Rhodes scholarships or Nobel prizes.

To view the complete rankings, visit http://www.forbes.com/colleges.

UT Knoxville was recently rated a “best buy” school in the 2012 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges, which reviews colleges and universities in the US, Canada, and Great Britain. It is consistently ranked as a top university and best value institution by other organizations, such as The Princeton Review, U.S. News and World Report, and Newsweek.

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C O N T A C T :

Whitney Holmes (865-974-5460, wholmes7@utk.edu)

UT Knoxville was one of twenty-five public universities to be ranked as a “best buy” in the publication released this week. Schools with this ranking combine high academic standards, inexpensive or moderate prices, and high quality of student life on campus.

“As the only major public university in Tennessee, UT comes close to being all things to all students,” according to the publication, with strong academic programs in fields such as business, architecture, accounting, and engineering, financial aid opportunities that help reduce the cost of a degree, and numerous ways for students to get involved on campus and in the larger community.

For more information, visit http://www.fiskeguide.com.

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C O N T A C T :

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, primmc@utk.edu)

The survey results appear in the company’s publication, The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 Edition. Only 15 percent of US universities were ranked, placing UT Knoxville among a small group of top colleges and universities.

“We are pleased to be on the Princeton Review’s top fifty best values list,” said UT Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “We recognize that a college education is a tremendous investment for students and their families. We strive to deliver a high-quality experience that is affordable and accessible for all qualified students to attend the state’s public research university.”

The survey asked a total of 122,000 university students around the United States to rate their schools on dozens of topics, including academics, athletics, professional preparation, and student life, and report on their overall campus experiences.

The survey results also share a sampling of comments from UT Knoxville students:

• The university “combines the best of all worlds: great education for a great price, sports, social life, and a ton of extracurriculars to choose from;”
• The campus “provides a family-like atmosphere full of opportunity and support to its students;”
• Faculty who work hard to “encourage acceptance of several kinds of diversity;” and
• Fellow students exhibit “the hallmark Southern hospitality and are industrious, honest, charitable, and compassionate.”

In April 2011, the Princeton Review ranked UT Knoxville as one of the most environmentally responsible college campuses in North America.

The Princeton Review is an education services company known for its test-prep courses, classes, tutoring, books, and other student resources. For more information on the rankings, visit http://www.princetonreview.com/college-rankings.aspx.

C O N T A C T :

Karen Simsen, Media and Internal Relations (865-974-5186, karen.simsen@tennessee.edu)

“Our graduate programs are critical to the success of the university and its research, teaching and service mission,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “Our investment in assistantships and in building research partnerships is yielding great results for our students as well as the university.”

The College of Business Administration’s supply chain logistics graduate program is 10th in the country, rising two spots from last year. The program is now fifth among public universities. The college’s overall graduate program ranked 60th nationally and 30th among public universities.

UT’s nuclear engineering graduate program is ninth nationally and eighth among all public universities for a second year in a row. The College of Engineering’s overall graduate program climbed several slots to 70th in the nation and 41st among all public universities.

The College of Law’s clinical training program ranked 12th in the country and sixth among public universities, jumping six spots. The College of Law accelerated to 27th on the list of all public universities and 56th nationally. The college was recognized for its legal writing, ranking 22nd nationally and eighth among public universities. For the first time, the College of Law also was recognized for its diverse student body, ranking 21st among all public law programs.

“We are pleased with this recognition of the continued improvement and strength of both our overall law program and our clinical offerings,” said Douglas Blaze, dean of the College of Law. “The jump of our clinical programs to 12th nationally and sixth among public universities showcases the strong connection between legal theory and actual practice at UT Law. This training means that our graduates enter the legal community well prepared. We also are pleased that our efforts to recruit and retain a diverse student body were recognized. We will continue to build on our strengths to further improve our standing as a top notch public law school in the future.”

U.S. News and World Report ranks graduate programs each spring in a variety of academic disciplines from among more than 1,200 public and private colleges and universities. Rankings are based on expert opinions about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school’s faculty, research and students.

Also this year, UT’s College of Education, Health and Human Sciences’ overall graduate program ranked 58th in the nation and 41st among public institutions. CEHHS’ rehabilitation counseling program ranked 56th nationally. UT’s graduate program in nurse anesthesia ranked 26th nationally, and the overall nursing graduate program ranked 79th nationally and 51st among public universities. U.S. News and World Report ranks health disciplines every five years.

For the second time in the College of Engineering’s history, specialties in all departments were ranked nationally. The college’s aerospace engineering program ranked 44th; computer engineering ranked 54th; industrial engineering ranked 54th; materials science engineering ranked 55th; civil engineering ranked 58th; electrical engineering ranked 66th; mechanical engineering ranked 67th; and chemical engineering ranked 68th.

College of Engineering Dean Wayne Davis said the college’s latest rankings will help recruit highly qualified candidates for the UT Knoxville-ORNL Graduate Fellowship Program, a new program designed to attract top graduate students in science and engineering.

“In view of the resurgence of interest in the nuclear engineering field, I am pleased to see that our nuclear engineering graduate program was ranked ninth in the country by the U.S. News and World Report,” he said. “We are anticipating a renewed emphasis on graduate student recruiting throughout the College of Engineering with the new UT Knoxville-ORNL Graduate Fellowship Program, and the fact that our nuclear engineering program is one of the best in the country will be a definite asset in attracting high-caliber candidates to UT.”

Several other programs are ranked on varying cycles. Other UT graduate programs that appear in the new report for their most recent rankings include:

• The College of Arts and Sciences physics graduate program ranked 57th nationally in 2010. The college’s computer science program ranked 63rd nationally in 2010.
• UT’s information sciences program ranked 17th nationally in 2009.
• The College of Arts and Sciences English graduate program ranked 71st nationally in 2009.
• The School of Art’s MFA in printmaking ranked third among public universities and fourth nationally in 2008; the overall MFA program ranked 24th among public universities and 50th nationally in 2008.
• The College of Social Work’s graduate program ranked 15th among public universities and 26th nationally in 2008.
• UT’s public administration master’s program ranked 62nd among public universities and 80th nationally in 2008.

UT Knoxville ranked 47th among all public research universities for its undergraduate programs in the magazine’s 2011 report. The 2012 graduate rankings are now online. U.S. News also will feature the material in its annual America’s Best Graduate Schools guidebook.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, provides an academically strong education at an affordable price, according to The Princeton Review’s “Best Value Colleges for 2011″ list released today, which ranked UT among the 50 best values in higher education.

The Princeton Review ranks American colleges based on undergraduate academics, affordability and financial aid for the “best value” list. The 50 public and 50 private colleges and universities were selected from more than 650 public and private colleges and universities.

“UT Knoxville delivers a first-rate academic and collegiate experience at a great value, and we are proud that our efforts have been nationally recognized,” said Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek. “A college education is a tremendous investment, and we will continue to work at making UT accessible to all academically qualified students, regardless of income.”

The Princeton Review is a New York City-based education services company known for its test-prep courses, college and graduate school admission services and books and education programs, including its annual college, business and law school rankings.

The Princeton Review describes UT Knoxville as a “large, dynamic” and “very affordable” university with “a vibrant academic and social atmosphere.” The profile also highlights the “excellent research facilities” and that with such a diverse student life, “it’s a school that has something to offer everyone.”

Essentially all of UT Knoxville’s in-state freshmen qualify for the state’s lottery-funded Hope Scholarship, which covers nearly half of their tuition and fees. As long as they stay in school and keep their grades up, they will receive HOPE funds.

Students whose family’s annual gross income is $40,000 or less also qualify for a Pledge Scholarship, which covers all their costs except travel and personal expenses. Similarly, the Promise Scholarship can pay for essentially all of the costs of tuition, fees and books for students who graduate from certain Tennessee high schools.

The Achieve the Dream program helps middle-income families whose incomes are too high to qualify them for Pell Grants or the Pledge Scholarship but who still need financial help.

Again this year, The Princeton Review teamed up with USA Today to present its “best value” colleges list. Previously, the list was reported on its website and in its book, “America’s Best Value Colleges.”

The Best Value Colleges for 2011 rankings are available http://www.princetonreview.com/best-value-colleges.aspx.

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C O N T A C T :

Kristi Hintz (865-974-3993, khintz@utk.edu)

The UT Knoxville full-time MBA program ranked 71st among all public and private universities in the United States and 34th among all public U.S. universities.

The ranking measures the overall quality and reputation of the flagship full-time MBA program at each institution, rather than the institutions themselves. The ranking takes into account surveys from corporate recruiters, MBA graduates, deans and faculty publication records; median GPA and GMAT scores of entering students; as well as the latest salary and employment statistics of the latest graduating class. Poets & Quants was founded by the former editor-in-chief of BusinessWeek.com.

The complete rankings are available at http://poetsandquants.com/2010/12/14/poetsquants-top-100-mba-programs-in-the-u-s/3/.

“This ranking is one indicator that we are fulfilling the UT MBA vision of attracting, developing and placing outstanding students who are well prepared for successful careers in their areas of expertise,” said Amy Cathey, executive director of the MBA program. “We are pleased to be included among this elite group of universities.”

The UT Knoxville full-time MBA program is not alone in garnering impressive rankings for the college. The College of Business Administration’s executive-level MBA programs, full-time MBA program, undergraduate business curriculum and supply chain/logistics curriculum are also ranked by organizations and in publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times, The Princeton Review, Modern Healthcare, EdUniversal, The Journal of Business Logistics, AMR Research, Supply Chain Management Review and Forbes.

For more information about the UT Knoxville College of Business Administration, visit http://bus.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, craines1@utk.edu)

UT’s Executive MBA program took the top spot in level of participants’ full-time work experience, ranked #2 in organizational support and #9 in non-regional focus.

“To be considered one of the world’s best programs by one of the world’s most prestigious publications is an honor,” said Kate Atchley, UT’s Executive MBA program director. “To add fuel to the fire, this ranking follows the global recognition received for all of UT’s executive-level MBA programs by the Financial Times.”

Students in UT’s Executive MBA program had more full-time work experience — 17.2 years — than any other program ranked.

Students also had above-average organizational support. Eighty-five percent of students in UT’s program received either full or partial financial support from their sponsoring organizations; 60 percent received full support, placing #2 in the rankings.

A third measure for the rankings was mileage traveled to attend the program. More than 70 percent of students in UT’s Executive MBA program traveled over 45 miles to attend the program, putting UT in the top 10.

“Our residence-based structure allows students to attend from anywhere in the world,” said Atchley.

According to Atchley, UT’s Executive MBA program is a transformational experience: “Our curriculum is structured to deliver a high return on investment for both participants and sponsoring employers.”

The Wall Street Journal executive MBA rankings were based on surveys of recent graduates, companies familiar with executive MBA programs, and companies that employ executive MBA students.

The UT Knoxville Executive MBA program is not alone in garnering impressive rankings for the college. The College of Business Administration’s executive-level MBA programs, full-time MBA program, undergraduate business curriculum and supply chain/logistics curriculum are also ranked by organizations and in publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Financial Times, The Princeton Review, Modern Healthcare, EdUniversal, The Journal of Business Logistics, AMR Research, Supply Chain Management Review and Forbes.

For more information about the UT Knoxville College of Business Administration, visit http://bus.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, craines1@utk.edu)

Only 100 of the more than 700 U.S. and international executive MBA programs were included in the 2010 rankings.

In determining rankings, Financial Times evaluates factors such as graduates’ salary increases and career progress, student aims achieved, international course experience and faculty diversity.

“These rankings confirm the core competencies that our programs strive to deliver,” said Carolyn Cuddy, the executive director responsible for UT’s executive-level MBA programs. “This includes an overall transformational experience, a high return on investment for both participants and sponsoring employers and a curriculum tailored to meet the specific needs of managers and executives.”

“We are honored that, as a public institution, our programs rank alongside some of the world’s top private schools,” Cuddy said. “This year’s performance is particularly impressive given the escalating competition among programs.”

The five executive-level MBA programs offered at UT Knoxville include three one-year programs (aerospace and defense MBA, executive MBA, and physician executive MBA); one 16-month weekend program (professional MBA); and one 16-month modular format program (global supply chain executive MBA) to be offered in 2012.

The University of Tennessee executive-level MBA programs for working professionals are not alone in garnering impressive rankings for the college. The College of Business Administration’s undergraduate business curriculum, full-time MBA program, Physician Executive MBA and supply chain/logistics curriculum are also ranked by organizations and in publications such as U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, Modern Healthcare, EdUniversal, The Journal of Business Logistics, AMR Research, Supply Chain Management Review and Forbes.

Financial Times is a well-respected international business publication whose annual ranking has become highly anticipated. Its tenth annual ranking of executive MBA programs affirms the rapid rise of executive MBA courses being offered, with a new emphasis on global programs.

For more information about the UT Knoxville College of Business Administration, visit http://bus.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, craines1@utk.edu)

Whitney Holmes (865-974-5460, wholmes7@utk.edu)

The college’s full-time MBA program is listed in the 2011 edition of “The Best 300 Business Schools.” The 300 schools included in the book are not ranked in any order. UT’s full-time MBA program also appeared in The Princeton Review’s 2009 and 2010 listings.

The 2011 survey revealed that students in the 17-month program feel very prepared for life after graduation. They consider the MBA program as “relevant and teaching up-to-date technologies in addition to traditional subject matter” and that its professors are “able to integrate real-world experiences with academic teaching to add value to the learning experience.”

“Over the past several years, we’ve seen significant strength in the college’s business standing,” said Jan Williams, dean of the College of Business Administration. “We believe that our enhanced focus in supply chain management, entrepreneurship and innovation, business analytics, shopper marketing, and international business has been enhancing the college’s status.”

As one student commented, “The entrepreneurship program offers unique hands-on consultation projects as part of the course curriculum.”

The rankings are based on surveying over 19,000 MBA students at the world’s best business colleges.

UT Knoxville’s MBA program was the first in the nation to implement an integrated core curriculum taught by a cross-functional faculty team. The program’s strengths in supply chain management and logistics, a required internship, social-media projects, focus on teamwork, focus on entrepreneurship, in-class speakers and interaction with industry executives make the program stand out.

In addition, students surveyed from UT Knoxville’s MBA program indicated that they are “blessed with a brand-new business school building that is equipped with the latest technology in every classroom; terrific finance resources, including the Masters Investment Learning Center where students can earn Bloomberg certification; and team rooms with 60-inch flat screens for presentation practice.”

For more information about the College of Business Administration, visit http://bus.utk.edu.

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C O N T A C T :

Cindy Raines (865-974-4359, craines1@utk.edu)

The UT College of Law is ranked 11th in the 2010 Top 20 Best Value Law Schools list by preLaw magazine, run by the National Jurist, a leading news source in the legal industry.

“We are very committed to preparing our students to effectively begin practice when they graduate, to be able to pass the bar exam and to find a good job consistent with their interests,” said Douglas A. Blaze, dean of the College of Law. “Fortunately, despite the present challenges in the global and U.S. economies, we are successfully achieving all three goals. We strive, always, to remain as accessible and affordable as possible.”

To be named a “best value,” a program needed a bar pass rate higher than the state average, an employment rate nine months after graduation of 85 percent or higher, an average indebtedness below $100,000, and tuition costs less than $35,000 a year for in-state residents.

UT’s 2009 bar passage rate for first-time takers was 92 percent compared to a state average of 77 percent. In-state tuition for the law program is $12,540, and the college’s graduate employment is 96 percent. The 2009-2010 average indebtedness for graduates was $65,082.

The magazine identified 60 schools meeting the criteria of carrying a low price tag and being able to prepare their students perfectly well for today’s competitive job market.

UT’s law program is a tier-one program and was ranked 29th among public universities in U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” list, released in April. The program also was named one of Princeton Review’s “Best 172 Law Schools” last year.

For more information about the National Jurist and preLaw magazine, visit http://www.nationaljurist.com/.

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C O N T A C T :

Kristi Hintz, Media Relations, (865-974-3993, khintz@utk.edu)