DePaul University’s part-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) program has been ranked ninth in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s annual graduate school rankings released April 2. The MBA program has earned a spot in the top 10 of its category every year for the last decade.

“In a competitive field, our part-time MBA program consistently places among the top 10 because we have a reputation for offering a high quality, flexible, practical program of study that is responsive to the needs of working professionals,” said Arthur Kraft, dean of DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. “Our faculty blends excellent academic credentials with pragmatic business experience, and our network of Chicago-area alumni provides valuable connections for internships and jobs.”

Enrolling approximately 2,200 students, DePaul’s part-time MBA program offers 20 different concentrations, including study in cutting-edge subjects associated with the business school’s centers in behavioral finance, real estate, entrepreneurship, and strategy, execution and valuation. A joint law/MBA degree and MBA programs with full-time day and weekend formats are available, too. The school’s programs also have expanded abroad, with DePaul MBA degrees offered in the Bahrain, the Czech Republic and Hong Kong.

The school’s other graduate programs include a portfolio of specialized masters degrees in accountancy, e-business, finance, human resources, marketing analysis, and taxation. A newly revamped Master in Business Information Technology degree is offered jointly by DePaul’s business and computer schools.

Two DePaul College of Law programs also earned top-10 ratings. In their respective categories, DePaul’s intellectual property program placed ninth and the health law program was ranked 10th.

U.S. News & World Report’s specialty graduate program rankings are based on ratings provided by educators at peer institutions. 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 magazine and on the U.S. News Web site: USNews.com.

The U.S. News 2005 top-ten ranked part-time MBA programs were:

2. University of Chicago

3. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)

4. University of California-Los Angeles (Anderson)

5. University of California-Berkeley (Haas)

6. University of Southern California (Marshall)

7. Georgia State University (Robinson)

8. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

9. DePaul University (Kellstadt) (IL)

10. Santa Clara University (Leevey) (CA)