Rankings rankle some folks, but lots of people rely on them when making major decisions. Of course, ranking methodologies are as varied as the statistical weights of the criteria used, but, no matter what weights are assigned, UCSB’s Department of Geography does extremely well in an interactive geography graduate school ranking web site called “phds.org” at . The site was created by a Dartmouth College math professor in 1998 in order to allow visitors to assign their own levels of importance to the criteria used for ranking.
Professor Kostas Goulias brought this site to our attention and commented, “Play around with this web site and you will see we are really good!” Heck, we knew that. But it’s interesting to see our ranking in relation to the weights of criteria which can be selected. If you try the sample “large, prestigious program,” we’re number one in the USA—but we’re only #15 if you select “large, less expensive program.” Well, you get what you pay for. The interesting thing about this web site is that you can select from the seven major priorities used by the NRC, and then you can assign weights of importance to their sub-criteria to obtain a ranking that reflects your own preferences. Most of our grad students who have played around with the variables have found us to be ranked at #3 or #4 at worst. Have a go yourself!
