Academics

Engineering undergraduate programs climb in latest U.S. News survey

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 2018 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges survey marked improvements in all ranked College of Engineering undergraduate specialties.

Under the publication’s specialties categories, three College of Engineering programs improved in ranking for 2018: Aerospace engineering is ranked No. 15 (up one spot from 2017), chemical engineering is ranked No. 17 (up one), and industrial and manufacturing engineering is ranked No. 7 (up two).

Four programs returned to the U.S. News survey for 2018 – all in the top 15 of their specialties: biological engineering at No. 9, civil engineering at 14, environmental engineering at 13, and mechanical engineering at 14.

“We look forward to continued improvement in our rankings as our recent investments in faculty pay dividends,” said Justin Schwartz, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering. “I also believe we can take great pride in the fact that we have moved up in most undergraduate program rankings despite substantial growth in our undergraduate enrollment. This is a clear indicator of the dedication of our faculty, staff and leadership in maintaining the highest quality of student experiences.”

Overall, the Penn State College of Engineering’s undergraduate program ranked No. 20 in the nation.

U.S. News does not rank the disciplines of architectural engineering, computer science, engineering science and nuclear engineering as part of its survey.

Last Updated November 5, 2020