U.S. News & World Report has ranked the Intellectual Property (IP)and Health Law programs at the DePaul University College of Law among the 10 best in the country. In the annual graduate school rankings, which were released by U.S. News April 2, the IP program tied for ninth place with the University of Houston, and the Health Law program was ranked 10th.

“The recognition given to the IP and Health Law programs by U.S. News reflects the work of dedicated and talented faculty, and exemplifies the quality legal education available at DePaul,” said Glen Weissenberger, dean of the College of Law. “We remain committed to providing our students with outstanding programs that will help distinguish them among the finest, best-qualified attorneys in their fields.”

Established in 1997, DePaul’s IP program boasts over 30 courses and certifications in IP such as patent law, information technology and art and museum law. It also offers IP-focused legal writing courses, two joint degree programs with DePaul’s School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems, and an LL.M. degree. Students can gain valuable experience providing legal assistance to local artists and inventors through the program’s Technology Intellectual Property Clinic or through the program’s summer job program, which is one of the most extensive in the country.

“One of the key goals of the IP program is to help students understand the theoretical and practical aspects of IP law,” said Roberta Rosenthal Kwall, director of the IP program and the College of Law’s Raymond P. Niro Professor of Intellectual Property Law. “To that end we provide students interested in IP with a wide selection of course offerings and opportunities to hone their skills in real life settings.”

DePaul’s Health Law Institute was created in 1984 and is the first accredited program of its kind in the nation to provide students an extensive curriculum in health care regulation, policy and ethics. With the recent incorporation of the Disabilities Law Clinic, students have the opportunity to put their academic experience into action. Two of the institute’s newest features are a partnership with the American Medical Association (AMA), which provides competitive students with paid work experience at the AMA after their first year of law school; and the Center for the Study of Race & Bioethics, which serves as a research arm of the institute. The institute also offers an LL.M. degree in health law and a health law certificate.

“We are honored that our colleagues recognize the value of the health law education students receive at DePaul,” said Michele Goodwin, who directs DePaul’s Health Law program, said Michele Goodwin, who directs DePaul’s Health Law program. “Students in the program are offered courses, lectures, seminars and symposia in the most relevant areas of health law such as the implications of mapping the human genome, race and bioethics, and the ethics of clinical medical research.”

According to U.S. News, specialty rankings are based on nominations by legal educators at peer institutions who nominate up to 15 schools in each field. Those schools voted in the top 10 appear in the rankings. Selected rankings are published in the 2005 edition of the guidebook, “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” the April 12 edition of U.S. News & World Report and on the U.S. News Web site: USNews.com.

While DePaul’s IP and Health Law programs earned high marks in the U.S. News survey, Weissenberger suggests that students considering law school weigh the rankings with other factors when looking for the best law school fit. “Students should also consider the unique personality and attributes of an institution,” said Weissenberger. “These should be measured along with rankings and the distinct interests and needs of students to ensure that they find the best possible program to meet their individual needs.”