Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams has been named one of the “Top Public Schools” in the U.S. by U.S. News and World Report. They're in some pretty good company too, considering the top 3 schools on the list are the U.S Military Academy (West Point), the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Air Force Academy. MCLA is 9th on the list.

In a statement on the college's website, MCLA President James F. Birge, Ph.D credited MCLA’s "distinguished faculty, academic rigor and fiscal stewardship as major reasons for MCLA’s national recognition."

Over the past year, MCLA added a number of new degree programs to support the needs of Berkshire County employers, including a Health Sciences major and the Community Health Education major within the Department of Biology, as well as two new concentrations in pre-medical professions and pre-veterinary, as well as other programs.

U.S. News and World Report ranks colleges based on 16 indicators, including those that reflect the school’s student body, its faculty, and its financial resources, along with outcome measures that signal how well the institution achieves its mission of educating students.

In 2016 the United States Department of Education recognized MCLA as one of “26 Four-Year Public and Private Colleges with Low Educational Costs and High Salaries” for graduates.

More From WNAW AM