Keck School of Medicine of USC ranking improves in U.S. News & World Report annual “Best Graduate Schools” edition

LOS ANGELES — The Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) improved its ranking by three places in the 2014 U.S. News & World Report’s “Annual Guide to Best Graduate Schools.”

The Keck School now ranks 31st in research in a four-way tie with Brown University, Oregon Health and Science University, and University of Rochester.

The new rankings will appear in the May 2013 issue of U.S. News & World Report and are available online.

“I attribute this important move up in the rankings to the strength of our faculty, staff and students, who make the Keck School one of the best medical schools in the country,” said Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito, M.D., M.B.A. “This national recognition is a testament to our commitment to excellence in research and education.”

In fall 2012, 126 accredited medical schools and 23 schools of osteopathic medicine were surveyed for the ranking. Medical schools are ranked based on student selectivity admission statistics (MCAT, GPA, and acceptance rate), faculty to student ratio and total enrollment numbers, as well as National Institute of Health (NIH) research grants.

The Keck School is at the forefront of medical education with a recently redesigned and integrated hands-on curriculum. The school is among the first medical schools to adopt Introduction to Clinical Medicine courses for first-year students to give them real-world experience in patient care from the start of medical school. And, the school is home to Health, Technology and Education at USC (HTE@USC), an innovative educational program developed in 2010 that facilitates cross-disciplinary education for medical and engineering students to work jointly on solutions to healthcare problems.

USC’s Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy were ranked number one in the last ranking for those disciplines, which took place in 2012. Both divisions are housed within the USC School of Dentistry. The USC School of Pharmacy was ranked 10th in a four-way tie in 2012 with University of Arizona, University of Utah and University of Washington.

The health rankings in physical therapy, occupational therapy and pharmacy are based solely on the results of peer assessment surveys sent to deans, other administrators, and/or faculty at accredited degree programs or schools in each discipline.