<p>This may seem like a very silly, obvious question, but I always hear about people saying "oh, they have a good [blank department]" in conjunction with schools, and I'm curious as to how one finds this out. Sure, there are rankings, but I'd like to think those aren't the be-all and end-all. How do you guys get your info about these things?</p>
<p>Word of mouth. Also if a school has turned out with famous alumni, like most good programs do at some school, people are going to assume it has a good department.</p>
<p>Several ways:
1) look at faculty size and background - if you see the majority of faculty have phd's from schools with strong grad programs in the area, it's likely to be a strong department. Departments that have lots of "visiting professors" or "adjunct" professors need to be looked at carefully - those professors won't be sticking around long.</p>
<p>2) look at the catalog of courses --- but more importantly, find out how many courses are actually offered by the department each semester. Many schools now have their registration online so you can check this out that way.</p>
<p>3) Ask how many current majors the department has --- how large is the department in comparison to other departments? Departments that have only one or two majors may not get financial resources. </p>
<p>4) Talk to current majors and students who have taken courses in that department. Ask how the teachers are, what types of research or internship opportunities they've had, their complaints with the department. If you can't visit, you can still get a sense of this - do an interest search for the school on livejournal and ask current students, for instance.</p>
<p>5) Look to see if the department is accredited for its area (important for engineering, but other majors as well). Also look to see if the department belongs to any national honors societies in the subject. </p>
<p>6) do an archive search of the school student newspaper for the department and see what type of stories turn up. Student papers often discuss faculty shortages, class registration problems in certain departments, etc. You can also do a search of the school's administration p.r./news site to see what types of grants or special projects the department has received. Just keep in mind that the p.r. department is NOT going to discuss negatives, only positives.</p>
<p>Most of this can be done online. After you look at a few schools, you will be able to spot strong or weak programs fairly easily.</p>
<p>I highly recommend #4 on Carolyn's list!</p>
<p>Another way is to post your question on forums like this (the PrincetonReview forum has interesting threads like "Rising MIT junior taking questions"). Current students and alumni can give you more in-depth and direct insights of their department.</p>
<p>I'd add a could more ways to Carolyn's list.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Career Placement. Some departments and schools report placement success and also how many of their graduates go on to professional or grad schools. In some fields (e.g., business) you can even find out the average starting salary of those who got jobs immediately after graduating. Graduates who are better trained are likely to be more successful after graduation.</p></li>
<li><p>PhD Rates. The percentage of graduates who go on to earn PhD's. The National Science Foundation compiles such figures by academic discipline, and some schools report them on their own websites. While some very good programs may tend to send graduates more to professional schools than to doctoral programs, it's probably safe to say that departments with a high PhD rate have excellent undergraduate teaching in that area. This is a good way to get an indication of the academic strength of small departments, which are typical in liberal arts colleges.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Excellent suggestions Mack. A few other thoughts: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Visit and arrange to sit in on several classes conducted by that department - for sciences, ask to sit in on a lab. At a large university, ask to sit in on a class or lab being taught by a TA, not just a star professor. Do the students seem engaged during class? Are there thoughtful discussions? How much interaction is there with teachers during class? If TAs are used, do they seem to speak english well? Are they able to respond to student questions? </p></li>
<li><p>On your visit (or even online), stop by the school library and check out the resources related to your major. Do offerings in your major seem limited or out-dated? That may signal a weak department. Are there any special collections or materials related to your major? May signal a stronger department.</p></li>
<li><p>Ask if you can schedule an appointment with one of the faculty members in the department to discuss the department's strengths and weaknesses. If you are told this is not possible, that could be a warning about how accessible the faculty is. If you can't visit, try emailing one of the professors and seeing how responsive they are.
Don't be shy - ask them how many classes they teach in an average semester, how much time they spend on research (and what their research is), what type of homework and assignments they typically assign in their classes, how they involve students in their research and interests.</p></li>
</ol>