U.S. News & World Report announces its prestigious annual list of the “Best Graduate Schools” in the country today. For the seventh year in a row, the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University ranks Top 30 nationwide among full-time MBA programs. The school’s evening MBA program also ranks Top 20 among part-time MBA programs.

“We’re happy the new rankings confirm we’re achieving consistent excellence here at the W. P. Carey School of Business,” says the school’s dean, Amy Hillman. “We have a phenomenal group of faculty, staff and students who repeatedly boost us to the top, year after year.”

On the new rankings list, the W. P. Carey School’s full-time MBA program comes in at No. 27, the best ranking for any Arizona school. The numbers are largely based on the positive reputation of schools among corporate recruiters — who offer students jobs — and among top administrators from peer business schools in the know.

“We are proud to offer one of the three least expensive programs in the Top 30,” explains Stacey Whitecotton, the W. P. Carey School’s senior associate dean of graduate programs. “We also have one of the two smallest programs in the Top 30, allowing us to keep the class sizes small and personal.”

The W. P. Carey School’s evening MBA program ranks No. 18 for part-time MBA programs nationwide. The evening program is offered in both Tempe and north Scottsdale, and it’s the highest ranked part-time MBA program in Arizona. The school also offers other part-time programs not eligible for inclusion in this particular set of new rankings: an acclaimed online MBA program that U.S. News & World Report ranked No. 2 nationwide earlier this year and a weekend MBA program that mixes online learning and campus classes every other Friday and Saturday.

The new U.S. News & World Report rankings also include other graduate-level “specialties” lists. The W. P. Carey School’s renowned supply chain management program ranks No. 3 for supply chain/logistics. The information systems program ranks No. 12 in its category. In addition, ASU’s Ph.D. program in economics ranks No. 36.

Other recent high rankings for the W. P. Carey School of Business:

> U.S. News & World Report ranks the school’s undergraduate business program No. 27 in the nation.
> Britain’s Financial Times ranks the school’s online MBA program Top 10 worldwide.
The Financial Times ranks the school’s China-based executive MBA program No. 28 worldwide.
> The University of Texas at Dallas ranks the W. P. Carey School Top 25 in the United States and Top 30 worldwide for business-school research productivity.
The Center for World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranks the W. P. Carey School No. 21 in the world for economics/business.