The Thayer School of Engineering was ranked the 50th best engineering school out of 194 considered institutions. Dartmouth Medical School received rankings of 32nd and 67th for best research institution and best primary care, respectively.
Tuck Dean Paul Danos said the outcome of the U.S. News and World Report was not surprising, as Tuck typically places in the top five or 10 of national rankings.
"It's pretty much a standard group of top schools that are listed," Danos said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "We placed around where we place each year, and we have very good company."
Tuck ranks first in several categories, including job placement among members of the Class of 2010 and alumni donations, according to Tuck Director of Public Relations Kim Keating. Most business schools receive donations from between 20 and 30 percent of alumni, while Tuck typically sees gifts from 68 percent of its alumni, she said.
Keating said Tuck's ability to place its students in jobs following graduation contributed to its most recent U.S. News and World Report ranking.
"We are the best school in the world at placing students after graduation," Keating said.
Tuck excelled in number-based categories, and the school might have ranked higher if U.S. News and World Report had considered only quantitative data, according to Danos.
U.S. News and World Report bases its rankings not only on statistical performance indicators, but also on surveys sent to deans and corporate recruiters, according to Keating.
Each rating agency considers different factors when ranking business schools, Keating said. The Financial Times, for example, examines alumni career progression, international program involvement and research, and placed Tuck at number nine, according to the Tuck website. The Economist, however, bases its rankings on four reasons why many students obtain business degrees new career opportunities, higher salary options, enlarged professional networks and improved personal development and experience resulting in a second place earning for Tuck, according to the Tuck website.
Tuck compiles its own aggregate rankings of the top business schools by averaging the results from five major business publications, Keating said. Using this measure, Tuck stands at fifth overall, Keating said.
Danos said Tuck's approach to education will not change at all despite its 7th-place finish because the school does not "manage to the rankings," Danos said.
"Obviously if we were out of the ballpark on all of them, we would say wait a minute,'" he said. "Our being in the top five most of the time is indicative that we're doing a good job and that students are getting a great education."
While high rankings help Tuck's "very large audience" including prospective students and recruiters make informed decisions about attending or hiring from the school, they also reflect well on the other graduate programs at Dartmouth, according to Keating.
"I think if any of our schools rank highly it's a great brand opportunity," she said.
