A glance at last Sunday's New York Times will quickly demonstrate the prominence of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, one of Tufts' graduate schools, which ranks highest nationwide for number of foreign students enrolled. The other five graduate schools at Tufts excel in their individual areas as well, some ranking in top percentiles and offering leading research in their fields. In fact, the Tufts School of Nutrition is the only one of its kind in the country.
Tufts' graduate schools, which offer degrees in arts and sciences, medicine, nutrition, law and diplomacy, dental medicine, and biomedical sciences, extend past the Medford area, reaching Grafton and downtown Boston.
Of the 20 institutions that offer graduate degrees in advanced international relations, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is one of the oldest graduate schools of international affairs in the US. It reaches the top percentile of comparable institutions, ranking alongside Columbia University, the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Georgetown University. Fletcher professors are routinely quoted in major media sources, especially during times of international conflict, such as the current airplane crash situation with China.
There are only 29 veterinary graduate schools in the country, and Tufts' School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the youngest in the nation, as well as one of the most competitive. With the spread of foot-and-mouth disease in various areas around the world, Vet School Professor George Saperstein was quoted yesterday in USA Today, explaining that the risk of importing the disease may be at the lowest level ever.
Though applications to veterinarian schools are generally on decline, with a national trend showing a drop of 13 percent, Tufts Vet school applicants have remained stable in number - a likely indication of the school's prestige and quality.
Tufts School of Dental Medicine also attracts students from all over the world, and admitted students have earned the highest scores in entrance exams. The school, which prides itself for offering one of the most forward-looking educational environments in dental medicine in the United States, overlaps in rank with graduate programs in New York University, Columbia University, and the University of Pennsylvania.
One of 129 graduate schools in its field, Tufts' School of Medicine is in the top 25th percentile. According to US News rankings, it is in the 37th place, alongside Boston University's graduate school.
"[Media] heath studies cover Tufts stuff so much because our schools are on the forefront of innovative research," said Pete Sanborn, Tufts assistant manager for public relations. Many groups, like the New York Time Magazine, consider Tufts researchers to be way ahead in the game.
The school of Arts, Sciences and Engineering (ASE) also offers extensive graduate programs in a number of disciplines and, like the other graduate schools, has a number of prominent programs.
"The Masters Degrees in Philosophy and in Art History are ranked among the best in the country," Provost Sol Gittleman said.
Only a limited number of PhD programs are offered at Tufts, because education is mostly centered around undergraduate studies. Still, many faculty members are involved in major research projects.
"We have PhD programs in the natural sciences that are good, but we don't try to compete with the huge research universities that give 600-900 PhDs a year," Gittleman said.
