SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — University of Illinois Springfield recently was rated as a highly regarded school for public affairs graduate students.

In rankings released Tuesday, UIS’ public affairs graduate programs ranked as 67 out of 269 programs across the country. The rankings come from the 2023-2024 U.S. News Best Graduate Programs rankings.

“These rankings speak to the quality of teaching and research provided by our outstanding faculty,” Robert Smith, dean of the UIS College of Public Affairs and Education, said. “Our continued rise in rankings will help showcase our contribution to public service not only in Springfield and Illinois but nationwide.”

UIS offers public affairs graduate degrees in six areas: human services, legal studies, political science, public administration, public affairs reporting and public policy.

The rankings for the public affairs were determined by representatives from public affairs and administration faculty.

UIS’s part-time MBA program was also ranked at 184th of out 299 programs across the country.

The full rankings can be found on U.S. News’s website.