Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s graduate programs in engineering, applied mathematics, and the fine arts rank among the best in the nation, according to the 2008 U.S. News & World Report guide to “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” The publication is scheduled to hit newsstands on April 3, 2007.

“These rankings are another validation of our ongoing transformation to a world-class technological research university with global reach and global impact,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson.

The Graduate School of Engineering is ranked 36th in the nation, up from 37th the previous year. Four engineering programs are ranked among the top 20 (aerospace engineering, industrial engineering, materials science and engineering, and nuclear engineering), and 10 of Rensselaer’s 11 engineering programs are ranked among the top 30 in the country. Five programs saw their rankings improve from the previous year. 

Rensselaer’s graduate program in applied mathematics is again ranked 20th in the nation, and the Master of Fine Arts in multimedia/visual communications program was ranked 8th, as it has been for the past several years.

Programs in media and the arts at Rensselaer are growing in both stature and number: The Institute recently announced the launch of a new undergraduate degree program in Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences, and Rensselaer has garnered approval from the New York State Education Department to offer a doctoral degree in electronic arts — making Rensselaer one of only a handful of universities in the United States to offer a Ph.D. in this emerging field.

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

Contact: Jason Gorss
Phone: (518) 276-6098
E-mail: gorssj@rpi.edu