August 21, 2014
Troy, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has been named among the “Top 10 Engineering Colleges in the United States” by USA Today. The national daily newspaper ranked Rensselaer fifth on the list, which was released Wednesday.
“Rensselaer has a rich history and tradition of excellence in technological education and high-impact research at the interface of science and engineering. We have built a global reputation for graduating students who are innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders in their chosen professions and fields,” said Shekhar Garde, dean of the School of Engineering at Rensselaer. “Being listed by USA Today among the top-10 engineering colleges in the United States is another recognition that a Rensselaer education and the engineers we produce are among the very best in the world.”
USA Today cited Rensselaer as a university where students report “higher than average starting salaries” of $60,000.
The USA Today ranking is the latest recognition of the Institute’s long-held reputation as one of the nation’s top universities. U.S. News & World Report earlier this year ranked the Rensselaer graduate engineering program as 38th in the nation, and last year ranked the undergraduate engineering program as 26th in the nation. In 2012, industry-focused website Business Insider recognized engineering at Rensselaer by ranking the Institute fourth on its list of “World’s Best Engineering Schools.”
Founded in 1824, Rensselaer is the oldest technological research university in the English-speaking world. As it approaches its bicentennial anniversary, the Institute continues to be a driving force behind breakthroughs in engineering and science in virtually every arena – from transportation and infrastructure to business, medicine, manufacturing, Big Data, outer space, and cyberspace.
Today, over 3,000 undergraduate students and 700 graduate students are enrolled in the School of Engineering at Rensselaer, and 76 percent of incoming first-year engineering students were in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class. The School of Engineering’s seven academic departments offer 22 different degree programs. Research conducted at Rensselaer addresses some of the world’s most pressing technological challenges – from energy security and sustainable development to biotechnology and human health – and the School of Engineering’s 140 research-active faculty members are at the leading edge of their fields.
The School of Engineering is one of five schools at Rensselaer, through which students at all levels are engaged in and researching a wide array of critical 21st-century challenges. In addition to Engineering, the university offers more than 145 programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels in the schools of Science; Architecture; Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences; and the Lally School of Management; as well as an interdisciplinary degree in Information Technology.