Four Grad Programs Ranked by US News

By Dean Woodbeck, Michigan Tech News Service

APRIL 2, 2004 -- US News & World Report has ranked four Michigan Tech graduate engineering programs among the best in the country. Michigan Tech is evaluated within the public doctoral degree granting universities category, approximately the top 167 public universities, however, not all of the universities were evaluated in all degree programs as noted below.

The ranked programs include: environmental engineering (18th out of 65), materials engineering (39th out of 79), mechanical engineering (44th out of 148), and civil engineering (50th out of 124)

"This is a very elite group of institutions," said Bruce Rafert, dean of the graduate school. "You don't just accidentally increase your stature among this group. These results demonstrate our solid commitment to research and doctoral education, and the success of our strategic plan."

Michigan Tech's graduate programs enrolled a record 801 students during 2003-04 and attracted more than $30 million in research funding.

To arrive at its rankings, US News surveys engineering school deans, graduate school deans and corporate recruiters. Forty percent of a school's ranking is based on these surveys. Other factors include student selectivity, faculty resources and research activity.

Michigan Tech is ranked among the top 50 public universities out of 250 in the country by U.S. News and World Report. The university has one of the largest engineering programs in the US and offers quality programs in the sciences, business, communications, and forestry and environmental sciences.