NRC 2010 Engineering School Rankings using R-Rankings

<p>I derived NRC 2010 Engineering School Rankings based on the following assumptions:
1. R-rankings were used as they reflected the contemporary reputation survey of institutions; similar approaches were used for 1983 and 1995 rankings.
2. Ranks were evaluated in percentages (actual rank/number of ranked institutions) rather than actual ranks.
3. Qualified institutions should have at least two ranked engineering departments.
4. Arithmetic means of the values calculated in second bullet were used for the final ranking.</p>

<p>Rank Avg Rank %*100 Institution Name
1 3.34 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA
2 5.33 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-BERKELEY
3 5.67 MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
4 9.82 STANFORD UNIVERSITY
5 12.08 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN-ANN ARBOR
6 12.10 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SAN DIEGO
7 12.88 NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
8 14.84 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER
9 16.25 GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
10 16.72 CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
11 16.82 PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
12 19.20 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-LOS ANGELES
13 20.52 PURDUE UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS
14 20.77 DUKE UNIVERSITY
15 21.39 UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
16 23.59 UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
17 24.88 JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
18 24.98 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-TWIN CITIES
19 26.05 CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
20 26.91 YALE UNIVERSITY
21 28.92 CORNELL UNIVERSITY
22 29.94 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
23 29.94 UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
24 31.08 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE PARK
25 34.50 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
26 35.62 BROWN UNIVERSITY
27 35.78 TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY
28 36.59 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
29 37.31 UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME
30 37.39 PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
31 37.43 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
32 37.54 ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
33 38.34 UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE
34 39.06 LEHIGH UNIVERSITY
35 39.17 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH PITTSBURGH CAMPUS
36 39.20 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
37 39.34 OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS
38 39.36 NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
39 39.83 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY
40 40.00 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA
41 40.41 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-RIVERSIDE
42 41.29 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS
43 41.71 VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY
44 41.91 UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
45 42.74 RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
46 44.28 STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
47 44.59 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
48 44.92 BOSTON UNIVERSITY
49 44.98 COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
50 46.34 RICE UNIVERSITY
51 46.91 UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
52 47.66 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
53 48.11 STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT STONY BROOK
54 48.56 UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
55 50.28 WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
56 51.15 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
57 52.32 OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
58 52.62 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS
59 53.06 UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE COUNTY
60 53.22 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO MAIN CAMPUS
61 53.66 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH
62 54.81 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
63 54.84 DREXEL UNIVERSITY
64 56.48 UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
65 56.72 UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON
66 57.69 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE
67 57.99 UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI MAIN CAMPUS
68 58.16 TULANE UNIVERSITY
69 58.19 IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
70 58.51 VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
71 60.17 TUFTS UNIVERSITY
72 60.71 INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS
73 61.43 UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
74 62.25 RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY NEW BRUNSWICK CAMPUS
75 62.33 NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
76 62.48 UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT
77 62.75 UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
78 64.36 MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
79 66.17 CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK GRAD. CENTER
80 66.38 OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
81 66.80 UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
82 66.97 LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AND AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE
83 67.54 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
84 67.65 UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
85 68.59 UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
86 68.64 UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE
87 68.74 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHARLOTTE
88 69.16 UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS MAIN CAMPUS
89 70.73 CLEMSON UNIVERSITY
90 71.24 OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY
91 71.81 UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA NORMAN CAMPUS
92 72.10 UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
93 72.59 UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
94 73.68 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
95 73.96 OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS
96 74.07 AUBURN UNIVERSITY
97 74.35 FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
98 74.75 ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
99 75.43 VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
100 75.95 MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
101 76.54 UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA - LINCOLN
102 76.97 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI - COLUMBIA
103 77.05 SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY
104 77.63 NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS
105 78.16 SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS
106 78.36 UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE
107 78.62 KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
108 78.77 TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
109 78.92 UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
110 78.99 UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI - ROLLA
111 78.99 STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BINGHAMTON
112 79.04 GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
113 79.53 UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO
114 79.57 UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
115 80.22 NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
116 80.37 WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
117 81.25 UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA
118 81.52 CLARKSON UNIVERSITY
119 81.65 CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA
120 82.73 UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
121 83.78 UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER AT DALLAS
122 84.59 UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS
123 85.11 MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY
124 86.18 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO
125 88.10 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS
126 88.51 UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA
127 88.71 OHIO UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS
128 91.34 WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
129 91.52 CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
130 91.71 UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
131 92.77 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CARBONDALE
132 97.64 FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY</p>

<p>A word of warning to HS kids looking to use this to compile their list of schools to look at for undergrad. This is a ranking of graduate programs, not undergrad. I noticed UNC-CH on this list and they do not offer any undergrad engineering degrees. I did not see Harvard on this list and they do offer undergrad engineering degrees. Harvard’s engineering programs are relatively new and thus the NRC only ranked one of their programs (electrical & computer engineering - ranked 4 in the R 5%) when the data was collected over five years ago. While there may be some correlation to the quality of undergrad, it is not absolute.</p>

<p>

I would go a bit further in that cltdad. There is NO, NONE, NADA demonstrated correlation between the quality of grad programs and the quality of education as an undergrad. If there were, no one should ever attend an LAC. And while it is nice for me to see Tulane ranked fairly well, even above Vanderbilt (??!!??), it makes no sense. Tulane has two engineering programs, Biomedical and Chemical. They eliminated the others after Katrina. While these programs are very well thought of, especially BioM, it is hard for me to see how the school could rank that high compared to many other good, more complete programs. Rice at #50?? Below Colorado State, Drexel, the University of Dayton, and others that don’t pass the smell test? These are good programs but Puhleeeze.</p>

<p>The bottom line is that this OP loves to make these lists, and by inference thinks they reflect some kind of real world experience for undergrads. They don’t and they can’t. They aren’t even a particularly useful tool, and could do more harm than good, which is true of all ranking systems for something as complicated and multivariate as a university or even a single program. For grad school, I can almost see it. Far fewer important variables. For undergrad? Not a chance.</p>

<p>“And while it is nice for me to see Tulane ranked fairly well, even above Vanderbilt (??!!??), it makes no sense.”</p>

<p>I concur.</p>

<p>Clarifications</p>

<ol>
<li>NRC rankings are for graduate schools’ PhD programs but not for undergraduate. The former emphasizes on reseach but the latter on teaching; there are big differences between these two.</li>
<li>For a more complete engineering schools that include conventional engineering programs e.g., civil engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and eletrical engineering, please refer to top 60 institutions listed on post #1. On that list, about 90% of the top 60 institutions have at least three conventional engineering programs.</li>
<li>I confirm that post#2’s statetment regarding to the high score of the Harvard’s only ranked engineering program to be true.</li>
</ol>

<p>I agree against using these rankings for undergrad. Clemson has an excellent undergraduate engineering program, while not so much for graduate school. I would find it hard to believe our undergrad engineering program is worst than IUPUI or Louisiana Tech.</p>

<p>Even for grad programs, this seems kind of sketchy to me.</p>

<p>Rankings rarely make sense. The issues involved in judging programs are simply too complex and often personal and subjective.</p>

<p>Noimagination:</p>

<p>R-rankings and S-Rankings are the two major components used for NRC 2010 rankings. It is not difficult for one to find a high degree of disconcert between the two. </p>

<p>As I mentioned on post#1, R-rankings were used as they reflected the contemporary reputation survey of institutions; similar approaches were used for 1983 and 1995 rankings. I agree it is hard to believe that UCSB outscored Berkeley, MIT, and Michigan. On Princeton’s web site, they used S-ranking to derive rankings of their engineering programs but their rankings were even more confusing—For Civil Engineering, as an example, University of Vermont outscored MIT, UIUC, and UT Austin. How come? Why? The results were based on NRC 2010’s data spreadsheet so one cannot argue with data. I will leave these questions to NRC. </p>

<p>It is also true that the averaging approach did favor those institutions have no (or few) low ranked programs. Institutes may gain such favored considerations by eliminating their weaker programs. Believe it or not, many institutions do/did it for the very reason. Rankings, graduate or undergraduate are complicated but I can defend post#1’s results based on NRC’s data and criteria previously defined on the same post.</p>