The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute graduate programs in engineering and the fine arts rank among the best in the nation, according to the 2010 U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The publication is scheduled be available on April 28, 2009.

“The success of our graduate programs at Rensselaer speaks directly to the success and growth of our research and teaching enterprises under The Rensselaer Plan,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “Rensselaer continues to recruit some of the top graduate students in the world, who work alongside faculty researchers who are among the most prominent scholars in their fields. Together, they are raising the stature of Rensselaer and making discoveries that will change how the coming generations will live, work, and play.”

The Graduate School of Engineering is ranked 31st in the nation, up from 32nd the previous year. Six engineering programs are ranked among the top 25 (aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, materials science engineering, mechanical engineering, and nuclear engineering). The electrical engineering program saw the biggest jump in ranking, rising from 26th to 20th.  Industrial engineering rose from 23rd to 21st, and mechanical engineering rose from 24th to 22nd.

The Rensselaer Master of Fine Arts in multimedia/visual communications program was again ranked 6th in the nation. 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.

The doctoral program in computer science was ranked among the top 50 programs in the nation.