North Texas Daily

Two of the university’s graduate programs were ranked in the top 10 nationwide in the U.S. News & World Report 2022 Best Graduate Schools report.

The College of Health and Public Service had a number of programs make the list, such as public finance in budgeting which was ranked No. 1,  Master of Public Administration (MPA)   for homeland security and emergency management which came in at No. 7 and local government management which was ranked No. 12.

The College of Information’s health informatics graduate program was ranked No. 6 in health librarianship and No. 20 in library and information studies.

Victor Prybutok, vice provost for graduate education and dean of Toulouse Graduate school, said the external recognition could benefit the university on a larger scale.

“As we increase the number [of programs] that are nationally ranked, we increase the visibility of our entire university,” Prybutok said.

Joseph Oppong, academic associate vice provost and academic associate dean of Toulouse, said the recognition affirms the students and staff whose work elevated it.

“We know we’re doing a good job,” Oppong said. “But when someone from outside comes in and says, ‘Wow, you guys are indeed doing a good job,’ it’s the same thing. It improves the value of your degree in the sense your marketability in terms of jobs grows significantly because you’re coming from a school that is nationally recognized.”

The MPA aims to “prepare leaders dedicated to the advancement of ethical, accountable and inclusive governance,” according to its program page. This degree requires courses in public finances, urban planning and emergency management among others.

Prybutok said the MPA was not too dissimilar from a Master of Business Administration, citing the need for “professional acclimation” in both.

“That means the students learn, for example, for a public administration master’s, how a public administration operation works, how city government works, how government and organizational operations work,” Prybutok said. “Much like in the MBA, people learn about business operations, and certainly, someone smart who has an MBA could work in city government. But you’re better prepared if your educational foundation relates more to the public administration portion of what you do.”

As a branch of information science studies, health informatics is primarily focused on training with technology for medical purposes. This covers a wide array of disciplines, which can include data science, electronic health systems and clinical decision support among others.

Oppong said both health informatics and public administration provide the credentials needed for jobs after graduation.

“When you’re coming from a good program, it definitely enhances your opportunities,” Oppong said. “Our programs are doing a good job with that […] The potential for success is great because of the rigor of the program and the experiences students have in the program.”

Information science graduate E. Bailey Sterling, who is enrolled in health informatics, described the program as preparing students to be health information professionals or “medical librarians.” She said the ranking was well deserved and praised some of the program’s benefits, like “highly trained and engaged instructors,” “relevant coursework and events led by leading experts in the field” and “exposure to a range of career opportunities”.

“The practical career applications for the training we get here are highly varied,” Sterling said. “And the specialization itself – that is, the curriculum offered as part of this specialization – is second to none. It offers a battery of courses that are consistently hyper-current and are focused on the subjects most useful to Medical Librarians today.”

Featured Image: Students walk through the Union on March 3, 2021. Image by John Anderson