Ph.D. Programs Rank Among Best in the Nation

The National Research Council ranks two joint-doctoral degree programs between San Diego State University and the University of California San Diego among the best in their most recent rankings of Ph.D. programs nationwide.

The survey did not specify exact rankings but rather placed programs within a range. Based on the data, the joint-doctoral programs in language and communicative disorders and clinical psychology both received rankings that place them within a range that included the top 10. 

According to evaluations by UCSD and SDSU Graduate and Research Affairs, the language and communicative disorders program ranked 6th and clinical psychology ranked 8th overall.

Partnerships with UC San Diego

In the California Master Plan for Higher Education, doctoral programs at California State University campuses are offered jointly with other doctoral-granting institutions in California.

SDSU and UCSD have worked together for decades to provide students with quality research programs. Together, the universities offer 12 joint-doctoral degrees in a variety of areas.

“Our partnerships with UC San Diego have been vital to our growth as a research university,” said Tom Scott, SDSU vice president for research and graduate affairs dean. 

Added Kim Barrett, dean of graduate studies at UCSD, “These highly ranked programs, as well as our other joint doctoral programs, reflect the unique and exciting synergies between the faculty and research programs on our respective campuses. The joint graduate programs are truly greater than the sum of the parts.”

Academic stature continues to grow

The new rankings add to the already recognized academic stature of SDSU’s joint-doctoral programs.

The joint-doctoral program in clinical psychology was ranked No. 4 by Academic Analytics* 2010 Faculty-Scholarly Productivity index, as well as No. 25 in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2010.” 

The language and communicative disorders Ph.D. program with UCSD was ranked No.9 in the 2010 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index rankings of best doctoral programs nationwide by Academic Analytics.

About the NRC report

The NRC report evaluated more than 5,000 programs in 62 fields at 212 universities, including information on:

• Faculty research productivity
• Institutional support for students
• Diversity of faculty and students

The data were collected from institutions for academic year 2005-2006 through questionnaires distributed to faculty, administrators and students, as well as from public sources.