FMU, Coker ranked in Top 100 by U.S. News & World Report

Francis Marion University has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report magazine as one of the South’s top 100 master’s level universities for the ninth year in a row.

In neighboring Hartsville, Coker College is listed in the magazine’s Top Tier of Best Baccalaureate Colleges for 2010 for the 14th consecutive year. Coker is ranked 15th out of 96 liberal arts colleges in the South.

FMU is among schools that are classified as master’s level institutions under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, the grouping system that U.S. News uses as the basis for its ranking categories. There are 572 universities in the master’s level category, ranked within four geographic areas — North, South, Midwest and West — because they generally draw students heavily from surrounding states.

“We are pleased to once again be selected as one of the best master’s level universities,” FMU President Dr. Fred Carter said in a press release issued by the university. “These rankings arrive on the heels of remarkable growth and accomplishment at the university in nearly every category. It affirms our commitment to scholarship and service and is a reflection of the quality of our students and distinguished faculty.”

FMU is classified by the magazine as a regional university, an institution that offers a wide selection of undergraduate programs and master’s degrees, but few, if any, doctoral programs. FMU offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in more than 49 areas of study.

U.S. News & World Report defines a baccalaureate college as an institution that focuses on undergraduate education while offering a wide range of degree programs in the liberal arts as well as professional fields, such as business and education. There are 319 colleges in this category ranked by region: North, South, Midwest and West.

Coker College scores better than almost all of the 10 highest ranked colleges in the South for student-to-faculty ratio (10-1), percentage of classes under 20 students (78 percent) and percentage of full-time faculty (89 percent).

“Such a high ranking is an endorsement of Coker College’s personal approach to learning,” Coker College President Dr. Robert Wyatt said in a press release issued by the college. “This type of national recognition is also good for our alumni and current students.”

The method U.S. News uses to rank colleges and universities consists of three basic steps. The schools are categorized primarily by mission and in some cases, region, using data in 15 indicators of academic excellence. The indicators used to capture academic quality fall into seven categories: academic reputation through peer assessment, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, alumni giving, and graduation performance. The ranking formula gives greatest weight to academic reputation.

The rankings will be published in the magazine’s book, America’s Best Colleges, 2010 Edition, which goes on sale Aug. 25. The magazine released the rankings at 12:01 a.m. today.