The ranking marks the 15th consecutive year that the program in the Moore School of Business has been ranked either No. 1 or 2. The only public university ranked in the top five, USC outpaced Columbia University, Harvard University, Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania, and New York University.

The ranking appears in America's Best Graduate Schools, which will be on newsstands April 5 and in an upcoming edition of U.S. News & World Report. All the rankings are at www.usnews.com.

In 2002, the Moore School of Business enhanced its graduate international business program and changed the name to the International Master of Business Administration or IMBA. It was formerly known as the Master in International Business Studies or MIBS.

Joel Smith, dean of the Moore School of Business, said the elite U.S. News ranking affirms the University's continued commitment to its international business program.

"The Moore School has placed one or two in the U.S. News & World Report for graduate international business since these rankings were first published, " Smith said. "Maintaining this lofty perch over 15 years is further testimony to the outstanding contributions of the faculty and staff of the Moore School. Their service to the school is greatly appreciated, and we are pleased to see that performance reflected in this ranking."

Thunderbird Graduate School of Arizona topped the rankings at No.1. The other public universities ranked are the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor (No. 6) and UCLA (No. 9).

Last August, the Moore School was ranked No. 1 in undergraduate international business education by U.S. News in its 2003 annual survey, America's Best Colleges Guide, the seventh year the school has received the distinction. Its overall undergraduate program had climbed four spots to No. 39. In January, The Financial Times of London ranked the MBA programs 36th among the world's top 100 business schools, up from 45th in 2003.

U.S. News rankings are based on objective measures, such as entering students' test scores and placement success, and expert opinion, drawn from inside and outside academia, about program quality, faculty, and research.

For the international business ranking, U.S. News & World Report asked business school deans and program heads to vote for up to 10 schools offering the best programs in each area. The 10 schools receiving the most votes appear in the ranking.

Every spring since 1987, the magazine has published graduate program rankings. The annual America's Best Graduate Schools report began in 1990. Business, law, education, engineering, medicine (including public health and nursing), and public affairs programs are new. Other rankings are from previous years.

USC's School of Law was again among the top 100 schools listed. Other USC rankings include the College of Nursing and the College of Social Work, both recognized for master's programs. Graduate programs in clinical psychology and speech-language pathology also received top-100 rankings.

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