Arizona State University’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering continue to rank in the top tier in the nation for the quality of engineering graduate programs, according to the annual survey by U.S. News & World Report magazine.
“Today’s rapidly changing, technologically advanced world requires education and research approaches that move beyond traditional disciplinary-driven cultures and evolve at a faster pace than in the past. We are taking bold steps to enable that transformation and are gaining recognition for that,” says Paul Johnson, dean of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering.
“Our graduate programs stand out because they combine an emphasis on transdisciplinary and use-inspired research, a high quality and dedicated faculty with real-world experience, and world-class research facilities” Johnson says. “We produce engineers and innovations capable of tackling the most critical engineering challenges facing our society.”
The 2012 published rankings place ASU’s engineering graduate programs in the top 25 among similar programs at public universities, and 44 overall when private universities are included. Almost 200 engineering school programs are surveyed for the U.S. News and World Report rankings.
Among the top 50, ASU has the 15th largest enrollment of engineering graduate students, with more than 2,100.
The 2012 published rankings put the industrial engineering graduate program at ASU number 17 of 64 programs nationally.
“The Industrial Engineering faculty is highly recognized among its peers for its research productivity. The program has a long history of influencing research and practice in the areas of quality engineering and production logistics. In recent years IE has added health care delivery to its list of areas of excellence,” says Ronald Askin, director, School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering.
Environmental engineering is ranked 23 of 80 programs. Electrical engineering is 31 of 145 and bioengineering is number 32 of 70.
“The Electrical Engineering graduate program owes its strong ranking to the outstanding efforts of its faculty in the academic preparation of graduate students and engaging them in competitively funded research, exceeding $25M in expenditures last year. Our more than 50 tenured or tenure-track faculty members are internationally recognized for their research contributions and leadership and our more than 700 enrolled graduate students are sought by industrial and academic organizations around the world,” says Stephen Phillips, director, School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering.
The materials engineering program is ranked 37 of 68, civil engineering is 41 of 122, mechanical engineering is 43 of 132 and chemical engineering is number 49 of 97 programs.
ASU’s engineering schools also rank high in research expenditures, which totaled $72.9 million in fiscal year 2010. Research expenditures including ASU’s construction programs were $74.2 for the fiscal year. This is a reflection of the quality and range of research expertise, indicated by the amount of outside investment and support attracted by universities’ researchers. Energy, healthcare, sustainability, exploration, education and security are our research emphasis areas, with more than 1,000 faculty and students generating discoveries, innovations and inventions needed to solve society’s challenges in these areas.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings are based in part on peer opinion data gathered from questionnaires answered by deans, program directors and senior faculty at engineering schools, as well as surveys of businesses and professionals who hire new graduates.
The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering are: School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering; School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering; School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering; School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy; and School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment.
