DePaul University’s business school ended its spring break by springing forward in the annual graduate school rankings released by U.S. News & World Report March 28. The school’s part-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) program advanced three places to No. 6 in the annual rankings, which are closely watched by prospective students and colleges across the country.

“The fact that our program has appeared 13 times in the top 10 reflects our consistent dedication to offering working professionals a high-quality degree that helps them advance in their careers,” said Ray Whittington, dean of DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business.

The majority of MBA students nationally study in part-time programs, which provide students the opportunity to earn degrees while holding full-time jobs. DePaul’s business students can choose to attend an evening, weekend or morning schedule of courses. The university’s multiple Chicago-area campuses and Internet classroom technology add to the flexibility.

DePaul’s part-time MBA program enrolls 1,583 students in 28 concentrations of MBA study taught by faculty members who bring a blend of scholarly achievement and real-world experience into the classroom. To complete their studies, students take 14 to 18 courses, depending on their level of undergraduate business education. Graduates benefit from the College of Commerce’s 50,000-strong alumni network.

In other rankings, DePaul’s College of Law was again rated by U.S.News among the top 100 law schools nationally and moved up to 88 from 91. U.S. News also noted the law school’s diverse enrollment.

U.S.News & World Report’s specialty graduate program rankings–such as the part-time MBA ranking–are based on survey ratings provided by deans and administrators at peer institutions. Highlights of the rankings are scheduled for publication in the April 7 edition of U.S.News & World Report magazine. Full rankings appear in the “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2009” guidebook and a premium Web site.

The U.S.News 2009 top 10 part-time MBA programs are:

1. New York University (Stern)

2. University of Chicago

3. Northwestern University (Kellogg)

4. University of California-Los Angeles (Anderson)

5. Georgia State University (Robinson)

6. (tie) DEPAUL UNIVERSITY (KELLSTADT), University of California-Berkeley (Haas) , University of Southern California (Marshall)

9. Southern Methodist University (Cox)

10. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Ross)