Purdue is engaged in an initiative to deliver at scale high-quality online programs serving a variety of students, working professionals and corporate partners with offerings that address high-need, high-demand areas and are accessible, affordable and demonstrably beneficial. (Photo John Underwood/Purdue University)

Purdue University online engineering master’s degrees again ranked among the nation’s elite in the newest U.S. News & World Report rankings of the Best Online Master’s in Engineering Programs.

The rankings, released Wednesday (Feb. 7), have the master’s degrees in Purdue’s full array of online engineering programs tied with Pennsylvania State University at No. 3 nationally. Purdue’s online Civil Engineering master’s is ranked No. 2, and the online Electrical Engineering master’s is No. 3.

Purdue online master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management all ranked No. 1 for 2024 – the fourth year in a row Industrial and Mechanical engineering have topped the rankings list and the third year for Engineering Management.

In addition, Purdue ranked No. 5 in online engineering master’s programs for veterans The newest rankings can be viewed online. Online master’s programs from the Purdue College of Engineering were among those from 109 U.S. colleges and universities considered for ranking. Purdue's online engineering master’s programs as a whole trail only the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Illinois. Purdue ranked ahead of Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, and the University of Southern California in the top 10. Among Big Ten schools, Purdue ranked ahead of the universities of Nebraska, Maryland, and Michigan in the top 10.

“Continuing recognition of our online engineering programs is a strong indicator we are on track to maximize the impact of our land grant mission,” said Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the Purdue College of Engineering. “Innovative online education that spans geography and life stages is key to our efforts to expand student opportunities and excel at meeting workforce needs for well-prepared and diverse engineering talent.”

Purdue is engaged in an initiative to deliver at scale high-quality online programs serving a variety of students, working professionals and corporate partners with offerings that address high-need, high-demand areas and are accessible, affordable and demonstrably beneficial.

“Continuous, lifelong learning is now a fact of life in many professions today, engineering prominent among them,” said Dimitrios Peroulis, senior vice president for Purdue University Online. “Our online master’s degrees are one way we make the same rigorous Purdue training offered on our flagship campus available anytime, anywhere. And we are regularly adding online programs that address the deep societal need for workforce training in areas such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.”

Organizers of the annual U.S. News rankings analyze data on such factors as the quality of students entering a program and its legitimacy in the job market; online teaching practices so students stay enrolled and graduate in timely fashion; how the programs employ technologies to engage students in online classes and labs and allow them flexibility; and the quality of student support services, career guidance and financial aid resources.

Also weighed are data on faculty credentials and training, including the degree to which online instructors’ credentials mirror those of on-campus faculty and the training instructors receive to teach distance learners.

In addition, U.S. News conducts a peer assessment survey of high-ranking academic officials – in the case of the engineering rankings, deans of engineering schools and top online learning leaders – as an important element of assessing Purdue and other institutions for ranking.

Source: Purdue University Online continues to achieve high national rankings