Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s graduate programs in engineering and the fine arts rank among the best in the nation, according to the 2009 U.S.News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The publication is scheduled to hit newsstands on April 1, 2008.

“We are proud to be counted among the nation’s most elite universities,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “But the true measure of our success is reflected in the caliber of students who have chosen to come to Rensselaer and in the accomplishments of our alumni, faculty, and staff who are truly changing the world.”

The Graduate School of Engineering is ranked 32nd in the nation, up from 36th the previous year. Three engineering programs are ranked among the top 20 (nuclear engineering, aerospace engineering, and materials science and engineering), and nine of Rensselaer’s 11 engineering programs are ranked among the top 30 in the country. Two programs saw their rankings improve from the previous year. 

Rensselaer’s Master of Fine Arts in multimedia/visual communications program was ranked 6th in the nation, up from 8th, where it has stood for the past several years.

Programs in media and the arts at Rensselaer are growing in both stature and number: In 2007, the Institute announced the launch of a new undergraduate degree program in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences, as well as a doctoral degree in electronic arts.

These new programs will receive tremendous support from new facilities, particularly as construction on the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) nears completion. Opening in October 2008, EMPAC will be a world-class facility where science and technology intersect with art and performance.

The Lally School of Management & Technology’s graduate entrepreneurship program ranked 23rd in the nation, up from 26th last year, according to “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The recognition follows on other impressive rankings for the Lally School in recent weeks. Its corporate strategy program was ranked number one in the nation by BusinessWeek magazine, which also ranked the Lally School 26th among the magazine’s 2008 list of top 50 undergraduate business programs.

BusinessWeek also ranked the Lally School as one of the top five undergraduate business school programs in the Northeast, and number 19 on the list of private institutions offering students the biggest return on their investment.