<p>Every top university has the go-to academic department that shines brightest in the university. What is it for Vanderbilt? Which academic department (Philosophy, Biology, History, etc?) is Vanderbilt known for as strong and well-regarded? What gives Vandy its #18 ranking?</p>
<p>I think humanities are solid across the board. English, Philosophy, and History are particularly strong in my expierence.</p>
<p>Human Orgizational Development program is strong and thier Economics program is rising.</p>
<p>One alternative to the US News ranking compiled by a private firm called Academic Analytics attempts to rank universities and colleges on the basis of scholarly articles published by the faculty. I don't think they use things like selectivity of undergraduate admissions or subjective things like opinions of academics. In the Academic Analytics ranking system, several Vanderbilt departments are ranked #1 in the nation (Comparative Lit, Spanish, Portuguese, and Special Education). And I think Vandy is #8 or #9 overall in the nation. You can read about through this link (which includes several charts comparing departments of universities in various fields). This doesn't exactly say what Vandy is "known for" but it does give you an idea of how productive and active the faculty are in terms of research and ability to get published.
<a href="http://chronicle.com/free/v53/i19/19a00801.htm%5B/url%5D">http://chronicle.com/free/v53/i19/19a00801.htm</a></p>
<p>H&OD is strong because it's unique to Vanderbilt. However, employers really like to see it on a resume and consulting firms eat it up.</p>
<p>I would add that Peabody College is ranked 4th among graduate schools of education. And for its size of 6,000 undergrads, Vanderbilt offers both quality academic programs and extracurricular experiences.</p>
<p>The college stands out for it’s religious intolerance.</p>
<p>In what regards?</p>