Cornell's English Ph.D. programs and six of its graduate engineering fields are ranked in the top 10 in U.S. News and World Report's 2014 report on "Best Graduate Schools."

Computer engineering showed the most significant rise in the rankings, from No. 9 last year to No. 5 in the new report, released March 12.

Cornell rose in the rankings to No. 7 in three U.S. News engineering categories -- electrical/electronic (No. 9 last year), industrial/manufacturing/systems and materials (both No. 10 last year). (Electrical and computer engineering is one field at Cornell, but is surveyed in two categories by U.S. News.)

Rankings in biological/agricultural engineering and mechanical engineering remained the same, at No. 3 and No. 9, respectively. Civil engineering was ranked 10th, down from No. 8 last year. The university was ranked No. 13 overall for graduate engineering, after three years at No. 10.

Among professional schools, Cornell Law School was ranked No. 13, up one position from last year. Weill Cornell Medical College retained its No. 16 ranking among medical research schools. The Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management's professional MBA program is ranked at No. 16 for the third consecutive year.

Cornell remained strong in new surveys of several social sciences and humanities research Ph.D. programs, which were last ranked by U.S. News in 2009.

The university's Ph.D. programs in English language and literature are ranked No. 8 overall, down from No. 7 in 2009. The concentration of literary criticism and theory is No. 3, up from No. 4 in 2009.

Economics programs at Cornell retain their No. 18 overall ranking. Other Top 20 rankings were in history, No. 11, and government (ranked by U.S. News under political science programs), No. 19, both rising one position. Psychology was ranked No. 14, up from No. 17 in 2009, and sociology remains at No. 17.

"We are proud of the achievements of our graduate faculty and students, reflecting our strengths across disciplines," said Barbara Knuth, vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, which grants all Cornell graduate degrees except those at the university's law, business, veterinary and medical schools.

U.S. News rankings are based on analysis of expert opinions on program excellence and statistical indicators of the quality of a school's faculty, research and students.

Data are taken from surveys conducted in fall 2012 and early 2013 of administrators of more than 1,250 graduate programs, and more than 13,000 academics and professionals.

Ranking methodology varies by discipline or program surveyed. Rankings of Ph.D. programs in social science and humanities fields, for example, are based on ratings given by department heads and senior faculty.

Not all academic disciplines are ranked every year by U.S. News. Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine was ranked No. 1 in the 2012 report, released in March 2011; while graduate science fields were last ranked in 2010.

The rankings and statistical data are available at www.usnews.com/grad.