The University of Louisville School of Dentistry has risen to the No. 2 rank among dental schools in the United States on the graduate school website Graduateprograms.com. The website uses student evaluations to rank programs throughout the nation.
Current students and recent graduates, contacted via scholarship entries and social media, rated the school on 15 areas, including academic competitiveness, workload and faculty accessibility. The UofL School of Dentistry received an 8.94 composite score on a scale of 1-10. UofL ranked highest in career support, education quality and program value, with greater than nine-star ratings in these areas. The ratings place UofL ahead of programs such as Harvard, University of Florida and University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA).
“It is gratifying to know that students at the UofL School of Dentistry value their experience in the program, even if it is from a limited sampling. In any case, we will persevere to continually seek to improve the quality of our educational programs and develop the empathy and skills of the professionals we educate,” said John Sauk, D.D.S., dean of the UofL School of Dentistry.
One student who evaluated the school and left positive comments was second-year student Giselle Neukirchner, who left the following comment on the site:
“The dental program at UofL is top notch and has one of the best curriculums in the country. Even though the program is rigorous and the workload is high, you are surrounded by wonderful faculty, staff and classmates that make this graduate program an excellent choice for pursuing a career in dental medicine.”
Neukirchner said she saw the forum as a good way to share her experience at UofL.
“I chose UofL because of the family atmosphere, the faculty and the staff. My overall impression of the student body was very positive and I wanted to give positive feedback for school so other students would know how amazing it is,” Neukirchner said.
Graduateprograms.com program rankings for 2015 cover a period from September 1, 2012 to March 31, 2015 and were revised as of June, 2015. Last year, UofL was ranked No. 4 on the list. This year, UofL scored greater than 9 on a 10-point scale in career support, education quality and program value, and greater than 8.5 in faculty support, network quality and use of technology. UofL’s scores were above 7 in each of the 15 areas. The No. 1-ranked program was Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California.