Owl

Temple is excellent. I'm a PhD student at another, technically more prestigious institution nearby but have never been more challenged than in the two courses I took at Temple. I think the department is aware of their rising star and are working very hard to establish their reputation. One consideration is that Temple's MA and PhD programs are entirely separate, and the PhD people I met were just as qualified and inspired as my peers in my department. Honestly, had I realized the quality of Temple's department a few years ago, I might have been tempted to attend; on the other hand, I would hesitate to relinquish my institution's name. Nevertheless, I think that prospective students would do very well to investigate Temple as well as the other institutions that anonymousbequest listed (perhaps others have stories about good experiences with them).