WHERE WE STAND

For more than 150 years we've been leaders in higher education, as shown by rankings from those who monitor academe from the outside. Here are a few examples of recent rankings, primarily relating to our academic standing.

RECENT RANKINGS

U.S. News & World Report, America's Best Graduate Schools 2014

Business
Smeal College of Business overall tied for 49th
Supply Chain/Logistics 3rd

Engineering
College of Engineering overall tied for 25th
Nuclear Engineering, tied for 8th
Education:
College of Education overall tied for 28th
Vocational/Technical Education, 2nd
Higher Education Administration, tied for 4th
Administration and Supervision, 6th
Educational Psychology, 10th

Nursing
School of Nursing overall tied for 44th
Health Disciplines:
Clinical Psychology (doctorate), tied for 18th
Rehabilitation Counseling (master's/doctorate), tied for 4th
Speech-Language Pathology (master's), tied for 21st

Law
Dickinson School of Law overall tied for 64th
Social Sciences and Humanities:
Sociology of Population, 6th
Criminology, tied for 5th
Sociology, tied for 17th
Economics, 27th
Political Science, tied for 28th
English, tied for 26th
Psychology, tied for 30th
Developmental Psychology, tied for 5th

Sciences
Environmental Sciences, tied for 1st
Geology, tied for 3rd
Geochemistry, 3rd
Earth Sciences, 6th
Paleontology, 8th
Cosmology/Relativity/Gravity, 10th
Statistics, tied for 20th
Chemistry, tied for 21st
Physics, tied for 23rd
Mathematics, tied for 27th
Computer Science, tied for 28th
Biological Sciences, tied for 42nd

 

Penn State ranks 7th among "flagship" schools whose recent graduates earn the highest median starting salaries. (2013)

 

U.S. News 2013 Best Online Education Program Rankings

Penn State World Campus ranked in the Top 25 for its online undergraduate and graduate programs in U.S. News & World Report's 2013 Best Online Education Program Rankings, including:

• 2nd for online graduate engineering programs
• 5th for online graduate computer information technology programs
• 16th for online bachelor's degree programs
• 19th for online graduate business programs
• 25th for online graduate education programs

Kiplinger’s Personal Finance “Best Values in Public Colleges”

Kiplinger's Personal Finance for 2012-13 named Penn State as one of the 100 Best Values in Public Colleges, recognizing the University among four-year schools that combine outstanding education with economic value. Penn State's ranking is No. 48. (2012)

Wall Street Journal

Ranked No. 1 for college graduates who are best suited for the world of work in a survey of corporate recruiters by the Wall Street Journal. (2010)

DesignIntelligence 2013

DesignIntelligence 2013 ranks Penn State's Landscape Architecture programs among best in the U.S., with its undergraduate program ranking 3rd and graduate program ranking 7th. (2012)

The Education Trust

Penn State named among top 25 “gap-closers” for minority students: In reports released by The Education Trust, Penn State is among the top six U.S. institutions for closing the graduation gap for African American and Hispanic students. Penn State is the No. 21 graduation-rate gap-closer for Hispanic students among public institutions and No. 18 for African American students. (10/2012)

Academic Ranking of World Universities (AWRU)

ARWU has ranked Penn State at 49th in its 2012 ranking of the top 100 world-class universities. The University is one of five Big Ten universities and one of only two Pennsylvania schools to make the top 50.

National Science Foundation
Total S&E Research Expenditure Rankings (March 2012)

Overall: 14
Industry: 9

Overall Engineering: 3
Aero/Astro-Engineering: 10
Chemical Engineering: 18
Electrical Engineering: 3
Materials Engineering: 2
Mechanical Engineering: 3

Overall Physical Sciences: 17
Chemistry: 20
Physics: 17
Astronomy: 13

Overall Environmental Sciences: 11
Atmospheric: 8
Earth Sciences: 7

Mathematical Science: 7
Computer Science: 8
Agricultural: 8
Psychology: 1

Overall Social Science: 11
Political Science: 19
Sociology: 2

Institute of International Education

In IIE's “Open Doors” report survey -- an annual statistical survey of international students in the U.S. -- Penn State ranks 12th in the top 25 institutions hosting international students (6,075 students in 2011-12), and 11th with the most students studying abroad (2,087 in 2010-11).

ADDITIONAL RANKINGS

The Chronicle of Higher Education ranks Penn State as the top producer of Fulbright scholars among research institutions -- and all institutions, as well -- in the nation. (2011-12)

The 2012-13 Times Higher Education World University Rankings names Penn State as one of the top universities in the world, ranking 61st, which is considered in the top 1 percent of higher education institutions worldwide. (10/2012)

National Research Corporation: Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has been named a 2011-12 Consumer Choice Award winner for Pennsylvania for the 13th consecutive year. (2011-12)

Associaton of Research Libraries: Penn State University Libraries rank among the top ten North American research libraries, based on ARL's Library Investment Index Rankings for 2009-10. (2011)

U.S. News and World Report annual Best Colleges rankings: Penn State tied for 20th nationally in Best Undergraduate Business Programs. In Undergraduate business specialties: Supply Chain Management/Logistics, Penn State ranks 3rd. (2011)

U.S. News and World Report annual Best Colleges rankings: Penn State tied for 17th nationally in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs. In Undergraduate Engineering Specialities: Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical, Penn State ranks 10th; and in Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, Penn State ranks 4th. (2011)

Aviation Week: Penn State ranks as the top engineering school for aerospace and defense recruitment, according to Aviation Week's annual Workforce and Young Professionals/Student Study. (2011)

Diverse Issues In Higher Education rates Penn State among the top 100 higher education institutions nationwide in African-American, Hispanic and Asian-American undergraduate degree producers. (2011)

Gartner, Inc.: Penn State Smeal College of Business has the No. 1 undergraduate and graduate programs in supply chain management in the country, according to technology research firm Gartner, Inc. (2011)

The UTD Top 100 Business School Research Rankings: Penn State Smeal College of Business ranks 15th among all U.S. and international business schools and 4th among publicly supported schools for scholarly research output, according to data from the University of Texas at Dallas. (2011)

Smartmoney Magazine: Penn State ranks 12th nationally among "Colleges That Help Grads Get Top Salaries." (2011)

Compiled by: Penn State University Relations