Rutgers Only a Power in Football? Not Even Close

November 13, 2006

NEW BRUNSWICK/PISCATAWAY, N.J. – After notching the biggest victory in the history of the Rutgers football program, the Scarlet Knights are now ranked sixth in the Bowl Championship Series standings – or almost as high as the Rutgers Department of Philosophy.

Rutgers’ philosophy faculty are ranked No. 2 in the English-speaking world in the latest edition of the Philosophical Gourmet Report, a ranking of philosophy departments primarily based on the quality of their faculty, using opinion surveys of philosophers.

And much as the Rutgers football team’s defense is ranked among the very best, the philosophy department is ranked No. 1 in several subfields of philosophy – including the philosophy of cognitive science, epistemology, applied ethics, philosophy of language, metaphysics, and philosophy of the mind.

The nation is noticing the newfound success of the Rutgers football team, which is ranked in the top 10 for the first time in school history. But Rutgers football is hardly the first of the university’s programs to earn national and worldwide distinction. Academic programs from history to practical mathematics at The State University of New Jersey have long been outstanding in their fields – and that would not be the gridiron.

“We are proud of the hard work and determination of the players, coaches and staff who have turned Rutgers football into one of the nation’s top teams. We are equally proud of the achievements of the faculty and students in our outstanding academic programs,” said Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick. “Our peers throughout higher education have ranked many Rutgers programs among the finest in their fields. Rutgers’ success on the football field has prompted many people to take a closer look at the university. We are confident that they will learn what we have known for a long time – that the research achievements of Rutgers faculty are recognized worldwide, and that Rutgers provides excellent educational opportunities for more than 50,000 students each year.”

The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy recently was ranked No. 8 in the nation among graduate schools in urban planning, based on an independent survey of professionals, educators and students commissioned by Planetizen, a Los Angeles-based planning and development network.

Rutgers is ranked 21st among national public universities with doctoral programs by U.S. News & World Report. Graduate programs ranked at the top of their fields include:

• School library media – No. 1
• Women’s history – No. 2
• Discrete mathematics and combinations – No. 2
• Gender and literature – No. 4
• African-American history – No. 4
• Cultural history – No. 7
• Logic – No. 10
• Elementary particle and string theory – No. 13

Another 14 academic departments at Rutgers have been ranked in the top 30 among public and private colleges and universities nationwide. These departments are:

• Art history
• Anthropology
• Biomedical/bioengineering
• Comparative literature
• Computer science
• English
• French
• Geography
• History
• Mathematics
• Psychology
• Physics
• Political science
• Statistics/biostatistics

Established in 1766, Rutgers is America’s eighth oldest institution of higher learning and one of the nation’s premier public research universities. Serving more than 50,000 students on campuses in Camden, Newark and New Brunswick/Piscataway, Rutgers offers more than 280 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degree programs.

Contact: Patricia Lamiell
732-932-7084, ext. 615
E-mail: plamiell@ur.rutgers.edu