S.C. colleges fare well in ratings

Citadel best value in South, magazine says

South Carolina schools fared well again in U.S. News & World Report's annual college rankings released today:

--The Citadel was ranked the best value among Southern colleges that award master's degrees.

--The College of Charleston moved into the top 10 colleges and universities in the South.

--The University of South Carolina's program in international business held the top spot.

--Clemson University took three more steps toward its goal of being one of the top 20 public national universities.

The magazine gathers information from colleges and universities nationwide and ranks them based on how they're rated by their peers; how well they retain students through graduation; the faculty; how selective they are in the admissions process; financial resources and alumni giving.

Although the magazine's rankings recently have come under scrutiny among some college presidents who say they rely too heavily on the subjective ratings of administrators at peer institutions, they remain popular with students, parents and most higher education officials.

Here's how some South Carolina colleges fared in the rankings:

The Citadel

--1 for value among Southern universities that award master's degrees, up from 2 last year.

--5 among public and private Southern universities that award master's degrees, up from 7 last year.

--2 among public Southern universities that award master's degrees, up from 3 last year.

--Top Southern universities that award master's degrees: Rollins College, Elon University, Stetson University.

--Top public Southern universities that award master's degrees: James Madison University, The Citadel, the College of Charleston.

--Top values among public and private Southern universities that award master's degrees: The Citadel, Rollins College, Converse College.

College of Charleston

--8 among public and private Southern universities that award master's degrees, up from 11 last year.

--3 among public Southern universities that award master's degrees, up from 4 last year.

Clemson University

--27 among public national universities, up from 30 last year.

--Top public national universities: University of California, Berkeley; University of Virginia; University of California, Los Angeles; and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

University of California, Berkeley; University of Virginia; University of California, Los Angeles; and University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

University of South Carolina

--54 among public national universities, the same as last year.

--1 among public and private universities nationwide for the Moore School of Business' undergraduate program in international business. The program has held the top spot since 1995.

--41 among business programs at public and private universities nationwide, up from 42 last year.

--24 among business programs at public universities nationwide, up from 25 last year.

--Top undergraduate international business programs: USC, New York University, University of Pennsylvania.

--Top public and private business programs: University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley.

--Top public business programs: University of California, Berkeley; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Reach Diane Knich at 937-5491 or dknich@postandcourier.com.