Creighton keeps No. 1 ranking

Creighton University again ranked No. 1 among master's degree universities in the Midwest, according to the 2010 college survey from U.S. News & World Report.

It's the seventh straight year that the magazine ranked Creighton first in that category.

The master's category generally includes schools that grant a full range of undergraduate and master's degree programs. Creighton, a Jesuit university in Omaha, also offers a number of doctoral degrees.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln ranked among the top 50 public universities for the sixth straight year, tying with four others at No. 43.

The ranking places UNL in the top one-quarter of public universities.

The university also ranked in the top one-third of all public or private universities, tying with five others at No. 96.

The UNL rankings are lower than last year, when it tied for No. 89 among all universities and No. 40 among public universities.

U.S. News' annual survey remains controversial, with some college officials saying the rankings rely too much on SAT and ACT scores.

Officials say the rankings may be skewed by peer assessment, in which administrators vote on the top academic institutions much as college football coaches vote on the Top 25 football teams.

Some administrators have acknowledged that they know little about the schools they're asked to assess.

In the latest survey, released Thursday, the University of Nebraska at Kearney touted its No. 15 ranking in a comparison of master's degree programs at public and private universities in a 12-state region of the Midwest. The University of Nebraska at Omaha was No. 71 in the same category.

In the Midwest baccalaureate category, Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., was No. 3, Concordia University in Seward, Neb., ranked No. 16 and Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, was No. 23.

Also ranked in that category: College of St. Mary in Omaha, 33; Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, 35; the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota, 40; Union College in Lincoln, 43; and Dana College in Blair, 45.

The U.S. News study examines more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools.