U.S. News & World Report Names Four Jefferson Graduate Programs Among Top in Nation

Several Jefferson programs have been named among the best in the country, according to the just-released 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools Rankings.

The Department of Occupational Therapy maintained its long-time top 10 rank, coming in at No. 7. Professor and Department Chair Cathy Piersol, PhD, OTR highlights the department’s impact on the field, a result of the 2017 merger of Thomas Jefferson University and Philadelphia University, which brought together multiple occupational therapy programs under one department. Jefferson now offers all levels of entry-level occupational therapy education and a post-professional program.

“We’re proud to be ranked among the top occupational therapy departments,” Dr. Piersol says. “This ranking reflects a long history of producing innovative and inspiring occupational therapy practitioners.”

Last ranked in 2020, the College of Pharmacy jumped from No. 53 to 44, a move that “confirms the outstanding efforts of our faculty and staff and the diligence of our students who truly soak up every experience,” says Mary Hess, PharmD, interim dean of the College of Pharmacy.

Pharmacy students continue to perform well with their licensure pass rates, residency match rates, performance in national competitions and employment following graduation, she says. The Class of 2023’s results for the North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination and Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination were in the top 20% nationally for first-time test takers.

The Department of Physical Therapy jumped from No. 49 in 2020 to 44 in the latest rankings. This improvement acknowledges the faculty’s expertise and program outcomes, says Justine Dee, PT, PhD, department of physical therapy chair.

“Promoting excellence in physical therapy practice and advocating for patients are values modeled by our faculty,” she says. “These values are embedded in our students and graduates, who become leaders in the field.”

Improving four spots to No. 88, Jefferson’s Public Health Program “prepares students to be practitioners, scholars and educators poised to understand and address the myriad threats that exist to well-being and to lead needed change to prevent and mitigate disease and injury,” says Billy Oglesby, PhD, MBA, the Humana Dean of the College of Population Health.

“Public health program director Rosie Frasso, PhD and her teaching team are extraordinary educators and mentors, and they also engage in important research and community-based interventions,” he says. “I’m thrilled to see our program climb in the rankings, and I’m confident it will continue to ascend as more become aware of the meaningful and impressive work our faculty and students do.”

Read more about the rankings methodology from U.S. News & World Report.