Civil, environmental undergraduate programs remain among nation’s strongest

The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s undergraduate programs retained their position as some of the best in the country in the latest round of rankings from U.S. News & World Report.

The bachelor’s program in civil engineering ranked third in the list published September 9. The environmental engineering undergraduate program placed sixth.

“These results continue a long tradition of excellence in our School dating back more than 100 years,” said Reginald DesRoches, professor and Karen and John Huff school chair. “To be recognized this way, year after year, is a testament to the top-notch students we attract, our great support staff,  and our elite faculty members who are changing the very face of our discipline with their research and teaching. It also speaks to the continued support we receive from our outstanding alumni around the world.”

This year’s rankings are slightly lower than in last year’s survey, a reflection of the fluidity of the rating process. The top schools often trade positions up and down the list, depending on the response rate to the U.S. News surveys sent to engineering deans around the country. But they still represent the School’s top quality instruction, DesRoches said.

“We have much to look forward to in the coming months and years,” he said. “We have brought on board several highly recruited faculty members who are working at the boundaries of knowledge, advancing our understanding of what’s possible. We have several new, exciting programs getting underway. Our alumni involvement continues to grow.

“It’s an extraordinary time to be in our School.”

Overall, the Georgia Tech College of Engineering ranked sixth among all undergraduate engineering programs, tying with Carnegie Mellon University. Every undergraduate engineering program in the College was among the top seven programs in its field.

“We are proud to once again be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the elite engineering institutes in the United States," said Gary S. May, dean and Southern Company Chair in the College of Engineering. "The strength of our college is the depth and breadth of our programs, and it is gratifying to see so many of our individual schools ranked among the best in their fields.”

Top Civil Engineering Programs, 2016 Ranking in 2015   Top Environmental Engineering Programs, 2016 Ranking in 2015
1. University of California, Berkeley #3   1. (tie) Stanford University #1-tie
2. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign #1   1. (tie) University of California, Berkeley #1-tie
3. GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY #2   3. University of Michigan #4
4. Stanford University #5   4. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign #5
5. Purdue University #4   5. University of Texas at Austin #6
6. University of Texas at Austin #6   6. GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY #3
7. Massachusetts Institute of Technology #7   7. Johns Hopkins University #9
8. University of Michigan #8   8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology #8
9. (tie) Cornell University #9 (tie)   9. Carnegie Mellon University #7
9. (tie) Virginia Tech #9 (tie)   10. Cornell University #11