College scores its highest rankings and largest yearly performance increase across disciplines; 3 programs in top 5 and 9 programs in top 10

Purdue’s College of Engineering achieved its highest-ever rankings and largest yearly performance increase across all disciplines in U.S. News & World Report graduate rankings released today (June 18, 2024).

Regarding the second accomplishment, nine of the college’s 12 ranked disciplines (75% of them) moved up in USNWR’s Best Graduate Engineering Schools rankings. In addition, 10 of the college’s 12 ranked disciplines outperformed their historic average rank, representing the highest number of disciplines to ever surpass their historic average in a single year. Also this year, the collective average rank of all disciplines reached its best position in the last two decades.

What’s more, Purdue Engineering exceeded its own records with three disciplines in the top 5 and nine disciplines in the top 10.

Highlights for specific graduate disciplines:

• Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) is No. 1 in its discipline – for the second consecutive year at that rank and the 13th year in a row in the top 2.
• Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (AAE) is No. 2 – its all-time-highest graduate ranking.
• Civil Engineering (CE) is No. 5 – its first top 5 graduate ranking in 13 years.
• Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE) is No. 9 – its highest-ever graduate ranking, marking its top 10 debut.
• Electrical Engineering (EE), Computer Engineering (CompE) and Materials Engineering (MSE) received their all-time-best graduate rankings.
• Top 10 ranked programs: ABE (No. 1), AAE (No. 2), and CE (No. 5) are in the top 5. Those disciplines plus Industrial Engineering (IE, No. 6); EE (No. 7); CompE (No. 8); Mechanical Engineering (ME, No. 8); EEE (No. 9); and Nuclear Engineering (NE, No. 10) placed in the top 10.

“Our rankings attest to the high reputation of our faculty and the increasing growth of our research and innovation programs,” said Arvind Raman, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering. "Purdue Engineering continues to progress toward its vision for 2030 to accelerate excellence at scale and to become the most consequential engineering college. This new recognition reflects increasing prestige from our faculty’s recognitions and growing preeminence in areas such as semiconductors, space engineering, digital agriculture, infrastructure, computing, sustainability, energy and manufacturing."

Purdue ranks No. 6 overall for its graduate engineering programs.

More on Purdue’s rankings