Michigan Tech Forestry PhD Program Ranked Fourth in the U.S.

Michigan Tech's forestry doctoral program is among the top 10 in the nation, according to figures released Monday, Jan. 8, by Academic Analytics.

The School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science ranked fourth in the U.S. based on scholarly productivity, a measure of research activity. Academic Analytics developed the rankings by analyzing 2005 data on faculty publications, which it compiles in its Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index.

"We're very pleased with the results of the Academic Analytics study," said David Reed, provost and vice president of research. "However, I'm not completely surprised. The forestry faculty are exceptionally productive, and they deserve this recognition."

Unlike other ranking organizations, such as U.S News & World Report, which rely heavily on a graduate programs' reputation, the Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index is based solely on measurable criteria.

"We have worked very hard to create an intense and exciting scholarly atmosphere that significantly influences all our educational programs," said Margaret Gale, dean of the School. "But most of all, we have a very creative group of faculty, staff and student scholars, and we are extremely proud that their scholarly efforts are being recognized nationally."

The 2005 Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index ranks 7,294 individual doctoral programs in 104 disciplines at 354 institutions. It also ranks institutions in broader categories, such as the humanities and biological sciences, as well as institutions as a whole.

Yale University was first in the forestry category, with Michigan State University, the only other Michigan school in the top 10, ranking sixth.

Michigan Tech's School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science offers PhD degrees in Forest Science and in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology. Other forestry programs include Master of Science degrees in Forestry, in Forest Ecology and Management and in Applied Ecology, and in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology; Master of Forestry; and bachelor's degrees in forestry, in wildlife ecology and management, and in applied ecology.

For more information on the Academic Analytics Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index, visit http://www.academicanalytics.com/ .

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.