<p>While not a direct measure of undergrad liberal arts, the National Research Council ranking of Ph.D. programs is one of the most highly respected rankings of its kind. Unfortunately, it was last released in 1995, although the next edition is due to be released later this year. For what it’s worth, however, here are the rankings from 1995:</p>
<p>[NRC</a> Rankings in Each of 41 Areas](<a href=“http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc41.html]NRC”>NRC Rankings in Each of 41 Areas)</p>
<p>As you’ll note, many of Penn’s liberal arts departments ranked in the top 10, and many others ranked in the top 20. Penn has devoted substantial resources to enhancing its liberal arts programs and departments since 1995 (it’s been a major target of its billion-dollar capital campaigns and faculty recruiting), so I suspect that when the new NRC rankings are released later this year, Penn will do as well or better.</p>