For the first time ever, the College of Engineering and all graduate engineering programs housed within it received rankings by the U.S. News & World Report.

“The College of Engineering has focused on national competitiveness, and these rankings are a signal of success,” College of Engineering Dean Manos Maragakis said. “Our graduates are globally competitive, our faculty and students engage in cutting-edge research funded by selective and competitive grants, and high-quality engagement activities enable us to serve our region, nation and world. This major achievement is thanks to the excellence and tireless efforts of our students, faculty and staff.”

U.S. News & World Report released its annual national graduate school rankings Tuesday. The accompanying report states that “U.S. News weighs factors such as reputation, research activity and student selectivity to rank the top graduate engineering schools.” To illustrate the trajectory of the College of Engineering, just 11 years ago, its only ranked program was Civil Engineering, and the college itself appeared in the rankings for the first time. Now, in addition to the college, all eight programs are ranked.

“The latest rankings by U.S. News & World Report are a clear demonstration of the quality, high-impact work that is done by our College of Engineering,” President Marc Johnson said. “It’s worth noting that this milestone speaks to the comprehensive nature of the College of Engineering, and how the college is advancing the frontiers of knowledge in a variety of engineering disciplines. The College of Engineering’s spectrum of academic, research and outreach endeavors has been growing for quite some time now. The latest rankings are a clear validation that the College of Engineering’s work is not only earning national praise, it is transforming the lives of Nevadans and citizens of the world for the better.”

News of the rankings come as construction on the William N. Pennington Engineering Building enters its final phases. The 100,000-square-foot facility will provide new laboratories, classrooms and workstations for students, faculty and staff in all five College departments. The building will help the University continue to meet the growing demand for a Nevada engineering education. In the past ten years, undergraduate enrollment has doubled, and Ph.D. enrollment has increased by 41 percent. Meanwhile, the number of faculty has grown by more than 110 percent, and graduate research funding over the past two years has increased by more than 40 percent.

Of the future of the college, Dean Maragakis said, “The best is yet to come.”