ATLANTA (March 28, 2008) --The College of Computing at Georgia Tech jumped into the Top 10 in the latest rankings of graduate computer science (CS) programs by U.S. News & World Report. Now ranked 9th in the nation overall, the College of Computing moved up from the 11th position held in 2007 and is now tied with the University of Texas-Austin. In CS specialty areas, the College moved up to 7th place in Artificial Intelligence—a five-spot jump from 12th only last year—while Computer Science Systems rose from 13th last year to 10th.

The rankings released on the web and to media today are based on a survey of deans and department chairs at CS programs around the country. For a complete listing of CS program rankings and extensive specialty rankings, visit the U.S. News web site here. All new and old rankings will be available in U.S. News’ “Best Graduate Schools” guidebook, which will hit newsstands next week.

In addition to the Artificial Intelligence (#7) and Systems (#10) rankings, the College’s Theory specialty held its No. 9 ranking (last year the program leaped from 16th to 9th). There were no rankings issued again this year for Graphics/Visualization, which received a 4th place ranking in 1999, or in Databases, which ranked 7th in 1999.

In the past decade, the College of Computing’s overall graduate Computer Science program has risen consistently in the U.S. News ratings:

• 1996—18
• 1997—18
• 1999—13
• 2002—12
• 2007—11

The College’s reputation continues to grow and improve through its outstanding research, creative approaches to educational programs, world-class faculty, and richly diverse student body. By fostering leadership, collaboration and innovation, the College hopes to build its esteem and prominence across the board.

“This is a big deal. I could not be more proud of the effort I see from everyone with the College of Computing,” said Dean Rich DeMillo. “Once you reach the upper end of the rankings, it’s very difficult to make significant jumps. That we were able to jump not one but two spots—and into the Top 10—speaks volumes of the work we are doing and the impact it is making, not just in higher education and computing, but in the larger world beyond.”

For the Institute-level release regarding the rankings, click here.