Wallace Said:

What is the position of Tokyo University's physics graduate program in world ranking?

We Answered:

That's next to impossible to answer. First off, every school has particular researchers and areas of expertise. The leading edge for one obscure branch of physics may be in Calcutta - if that were the case, and that were your interest, you would be an idiot to ignore Calcutta based on some magazine's ranking profile.

In general, there's no such thing as an absolute ranking system. US and World News Report publishes the most referenced, but the whole system has a number of serious flaws.

The short answer is Tokyo probably ranks between 1 and 1000, depending on what particular aspect of physics you want to research, and that ranking is probably composed of 50% things you should care nothing about.

Rebecca Said:

Where can I find a comparative ranking of Graduate programs in Computer Engineering?

We Answered:

Try U.S. News & World Report

This link shows the top three graduate programs in computer engineering, and that information is free. If you pay them some money and get the premium online edition, it lists the top 77 programs in the U.S.

They have the same information in magazine form.

http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandre…

Joyce Said:

Is there a reliable source that rates college graduate school programs?

We Answered:

New week is pretty reliable and it publishes the rankings annually. One thing you should remember regarding graduate school is that if it is a unique area of study, there may not be a lot to compare it to. you should look for actual value added aspects of the program. you are interested in pursuing Environmental Policy, so you want to look for a school that give you hands on experience in the field (internships, career oriented organizations, etc). You also want to make sure that there are several full-time faculty members devoted to that program as well as connections with the surrounding community. Since most students going to graduate school have some type of full-time work experience in the same or related field, this is something that will give them that extra boost in their career. I wouldn't rely solely on rankings because they don't always tell the whole story.

Bill Said:

Highly Ranked English Graduate Programs?

We Answered:

You could get into top universities, but not ones like Stanford, Harvard, Yale, most likely. Those schools predominantly accept students from Ivy League schools, prestigious private schools (Stanford, Duke, Northwestern) and top public universities (UCLA, UC-Berkeley, Michigan, UVirginia). At best, they will accept one student from other types of schools, but the overwhelming majority of their classes are made up of students from the aforementioned schools and schools of that caliber.

You would need near-perfect grades and near-perfect GRE scores, as well as submitting your application very early in the admissions cycle, excellent personal statements and excellent references. Prestigious public universities like Michigan and UVirginia tend to be less picky about only taking students from certain types of universities, so you could get into schools like that, a school like NYU and such. But from what I've seen, Ph.D programs even at less prestigious grad schools seem very difficult to get into...I doubt I could even get accepted to Ph.D programs in disciplines taken seriously, including the one I got my undergrad degree in, at the universities I've earned other degrees at (Emory and Michigan).

If it's really that important to you, I might suggest you transfer institutions. If you're from Texas, the best school in your state to attend would be UT-Austin, which I know probably wouldn't be all that convenient for you. But Rice and Baylor are also better than going to UH.

Dave Said:

Top Graduate Programs in Military History?

We Answered:

I assume the site you found was the basic compendium at the Society of Military History.
http://www.smh-hq.org/gradguide/index.ht…

This may be as good as you are going to find.

As it seems you know, military history is a fairly limited field of study/research within civilian universities and institutions. I think that rather than looking for (or at, if you should find any) department rankings (which apply in other more generalized disciplines), you should emphasize the individual faculty with whom you would be working in your graduate studies. That is what is going to define your experience as a graduate student and afterwards in the field.

You obviously want to pay attention to the thematic research and time periods of interest to the faculty. You also want to read their research publications to find out if you are intellectually compatible.

Another aspect to consider is the amount of archival material to which you will be able to have access at a particular institution or with a particular professor - the best historical research is done with original material, of course.

I have a history degree (amongst others) and military history remains an intellectual hobby of mine. Good luck in your research on graduate studies, and future endeavors with the field.

Vanessa Said:

What highly ranked schools offer graduate programs in Fashion Design?

We Answered:

Parsons and FIT.... best schools for fashion hands down.