Published: March 29, 2001

The University of Colorado at Boulder's environmental law program is ranked fourth in the nation in a ranking of selected graduate programs released today by U.S. News and World Report magazine.

CU-Boulder's environmental law program moved up from a ranking of fifth in the nation in 2000. Overall, CU's School of Law was tied for a ranking of 38th out of 174 accredited law schools, up from 45th place last year.

In a new ranking for 2001, CU-Boulder's doctoral program in clinical psychology was ranked in a tie for 28th with five other universities. Overall, CU-Boulder's doctoral program in psychology was tied for 30th with eight other schools.

The CU-Boulder School of Education, in a ranking based solely on research activity, tied for 31st place with the University of Florida. The CU-Boulder College of Engineering and Applied Science is ranked 34th in the ranking.

CU-Boulder graduate programs not ranked by U.S. News in 2001 but which have ranked among the nation's top 25 in previous years include astrophysics, chemistry, physics, biology, advertising and speech, language and hearing sciences.

"Given our relatively small graduate school student population, we are pleased to be recognized for our excellence," said CU-Boulder Chancellor Richard Byyny. The graduate student enrollment is less than 18 percent of the total student population of nearly 26,000 students at CU-Boulder. It is a campus goal to increase graduate enrollment, Byyny said.

The rankings were based on reputation, student selectivity, faculty resources and research activity, according to U.S. News and World Report. Some programs are ranked annually and others are ranked periodically.