Engineering Program Rankings Methodology

Programs at 198 engineering schools that grant doctoral degrees were surveyed; 194 responded. Data were collected in fall 2010 and early 2011. Rankings for 194 schools that provided the data needed were calculated based on a weighted average of the 10 indicators described below. All schools are listed in the online directory.

[See our Best Engineering Schools rankings.]

Quality Assessment (weighted by .40)

Peer Assessment Score (.25) In the fall of 2010, engineering school deans and deans of graduate studies at engineering schools were asked to rate programs on a scale from marginal (1) to outstanding (5). Those individuals who did not know enough about a school to evaluate it fairly were asked to mark "don't know." A school's score is the average of all the respondents who rated it. Responses of "don't know" counted neither for nor against a school. About 60 percent of those surveyed responded.

Recruiter Assessment Score (.15) In the fall of 2010, corporate recruiters and company contacts who hire from previously ranked programs were asked to rate programs on a scale from marginal (1) to outstanding (5). Those individuals who did not know enough about a school to evaluate it fairly were asked to mark "don't know." A school's score is the average of all the respondents who rated it. Responses of "don't know" counted neither for nor against a school. About 21.4 percent of those surveyed responded. For the purpose of calculating this year's rankings, the two most recent years' recruiters' survey results were averaged and were weighted by .15.

Student Selectivity (weighted by .10)

Mean GRE Quantitative Scores (.0675) The mean quantitative score of the Graduate Record Examination for master's and doctoral students entering in the fall of 2010.

Acceptance Rate (.0325) The proportion of applicants to the master's and doctoral programs who were offered admission for fall 2010.

Faculty Resources (weighted by .25)

Student to Faculty Ratio The ratio of full-time doctoral students to full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty (.075) and full-time master's students to full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty (.0375) in the fall of 2010.

Percent of Faculty in the National Academy of Engineering (.075) The proportion of full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty who were members of the National Academy of Engineering in the fall of 2010.

Doctoral Degrees Awarded (.0625) The total number of doctoral degrees granted in the 2010 school year.

Research Activity (weighted by .25)

Total Research Expenditures (.15) The total externally funded engineering research expenditures. These expenditures refer to separately funded research, public and private, conducted by the school and are averaged over the two fiscal years 2009 and 2010. The definition for research expenditures is set by the American Society for Engineering Education.

Average Research Expenditures Per Faculty Member (.10) The average amount of externally funded engineering research expenditures per full-time faculty member averaged over the two fiscal years 2009 and 2010.

Overall Rank: Data were standardized about their means, and standardized scores were weighted, totaled, and rescaled so that the top-scoring school received 100; others received their percentage of the top score.

Specialty Rankings: These rankings are based solely on assessments by department heads in each specialty area. Department heads in their specialty area rated the other schools that offered a doctoral degree in the specialty on a 5-point scale. Those schools with the highest average scores appear here. Names of department heads and the names of their respective engineering schools that grant a doctoral degree in that specific area came from the American Society for Engineering Education.

UPDATED: 3/18/11