A number of Emory University's professional schools, as well as programs in the Laney Graduate School, including three Top 10 specialties in the humanities and social sciences,  are ranked among the best in the nation, according to analysis and surveys released today in U.S. News & World Report's edition of "Best Graduate Schools 2014" guidebook.

Professional schools

Emory's schools of law, medicine and business were the top-ranked schools in Georgia in their respective categories.

• Emory Law School ranked 23rd in the nation (up from 24^th last year).
• Goizueta Business School's full-time M.B.A. program was 18^th (up from 19^th last year), its part-time M.B.A. program was 14^th. 
• The School of Medicine was 22^nd nationally among research-oriented medical schools, and 29^th among primary care schools (up from 40^th last year).

Graduate programs

Several programs in the social sciences and humanities were ranked this year for the first time since 2010. Laney Graduate School programs ranked include: 

• English, 26^th; the specialty field in African American literature ranked 10^th nationally;
• Political science, 25^th; 
• History, 27^th; the specialty field in African history ranked 6^th nationally;
• Psychology, 38^th; the specialty field in behavioral neuroscience ranked 11^th nationally;
• Sociology, 35^th; the specialty field in social psychology ranked 6^th nationally. 

"It is always gratifying when colleagues across the nation recognize some of the outstanding doctoral education that takes place at the Laney Graduate School," says Dean Lisa Tedesco. "Congratulations to our friends and colleagues in these programs on their accomplishments and on their contributions to Emory and to their fields."

In addition, Emory's joint Department of Biomedical Engineering program with Georgia Tech ranked 2^nd in the nation for the seventh consecutive year.

Several other science and health-related programs were not surveyed this year, so Emory's Rollins School of Public Health remains 6^th in the nation, the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing remains 21^st, the physician assistant program 4^th, and the physical therapy programs currently ranks 7^th.

U.S. News first published a reputation-only graduate school ranking in 1987. The annual America's Best Graduate Schools report began in 1990.