Among the Best: Michigan Tech Graduate Engineering Programs Ranked in Top 100

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Michigan Tech's graduate engineering programs were ranked among the best in the nation by US News and World Reports.
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Michigan Technological University’s College of Engineering has moved up and again is ranked among the top 100 graduate engineering schools in the US News & World Reports “Best Graduate School” rankings.

Michigan Tech ranked 83rd of more than 200 engineering schools that grant doctoral degrees. Tech moved up from last year’s 85th place ranking.

Pushpalatha Murthy, associate provost and dean of the Graduate School, says she’s pleased by the rankings. “Michigan Tech offers high quality graduate programs and I am very happy that this is being recognized.”

She says the University’s dedicated faculty and staff deserve credit for their excellent work. “We all realize that rankings are not the only indicators of the quality of graduate programs; however, being in the top 100 confirms the success of our efforts and helps us attract good graduate students.”

Michigan Tech’s biomedical engineering program, unranked last year, was 84th of the 100 ranked programs this year. Sean Kirkpatrick, chair of biomedical engineering, says the ranking reflects a lot hard work.

“We are very pleased to be recognized by the US News and World Report rankings of graduate biomedical engineering programs," he says. "The BME faculty, staff and graduate students have all worked very hard to create a solid graduate program. This ranking reflects that all the hard work is truly paying off.”

Also making a considerable leap is electrical engineering, which moved into the top 100 at 75th. The program was 103rd last year. Materials engineering and mechanical engineering also made gains in the national rankings, rising from 54th to 42nd , and 65th to 59th, respectively.

William Predebon, chair of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, said the impressive ranking was a group effort. “This recognition is a team effort due to the research and scholarship of our faculty and their graduate students and the excellent support of our staff and University. I am grateful for all you do.”

 Tech’s engineering discipline rankings for this year are: 

  • Biomedical Engineering: 84th
  • Chemical Engineering: 83rd
  • Civil Engineering: 67th
  • Computer Engineering: 91st
  • Electrical Engineering: 75th
  • Environmental Engineering: 41st
  • Materials Engineering: 42nd
  • Mechanical Engineering: 59th 

Daniel Fuhrmann, chair of Michigan Tech’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), says the significant increase in the US News rankings is gratifying. “The Michigan Tech ECE Department has been working hard over the past 10 to 15 years to increase the size and improve the quality of our graduate programs, at both the MS and PhD levels. It is gratifying to see our efforts recognized by our peers.”

Fuhrmann says the department is continuing to move forward in graduate education. “We will soon launch a major expansion of our online MS program for working professionals.”

US News & World Report’s annual graduate school rankings are based on two types of data, according to the magazine’s website: statistical data such as student selectivity, Graduate Record Exam scores, student-faculty ratio, number of PhDs awarded, research activity of faculty and total research expenditures; and peer and employer assessment. 

Rankings of engineering specialties are based solely on peer assessment from department heads in each discipline.

Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.

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