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College of Engineering in Top 10 Again

The College of Engineering was ranked again in the top 10 undergraduate programs in the country for 2008. For the second straight year, the College was ranked number 9 in the country by U.S. News and World Report for engineering schools that award primarily bachelor’s degrees. “The U.S. News ranking shows the continued core strength of the College’s undergraduate program,” said Dean Gary Gabriele. “It affirms the great quality of our faculty and their dedication to the teaching mission of the College and the University. That teaching mission is augmented by a very strong master’s program and a growing doctoral program.”

The College is in the bachelor’s – master’s degree category because the Engineering doctoral program is relatively young with relatively few students.

Dean Gabriele pointed to the synergy of the undergraduate and graduate programs. “The nature of the College results in undergraduate students having the opportunity to learn from faculty who are engaged in leading edge research,” he said. “Such engagement in the undergraduate years is often critical in helping students see the full possibilities of their fields.”

The ranking is based on surveys of deans and senior faculty of all undergraduate programs in the country. Achieving a spot among the top 10 in this group is a challenge because the others colleges represent a certain level of specialization. Villanova is one of the few top tier undergraduate programs in this category with a strong, highly regarded graduate program. The other members of the top 10 are either service academies (such as the United States Naval Academy) or undergraduate colleges where all or most of the student body are engineering students.

University president, Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. ’75, noted the significance of the College of Engineering’s ranking, saying, “All Villanovans and especially the Engineering administration, faculty, students, and alumni can take pride in the continued high esteem that the College of Engineering is held among its peers. The combination of an excellent program within the College and a larger university that emphasizes strong teacher-student interaction, the Liberal Arts, and the tradition of service engrained in Villanova through its Augustinian tradition all contribute to making the College unique among this impressive group.”

See for yourself!

View the list published by U.S. News & World Report of the Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs for 2008.