College of Engineering Undergraduate Program Rises in Rankings

In the 2015 edition of “Best Colleges 2015,” the annual report from U.S. News and World Report, the University of Arkansas College of Engineering was ranked at 64 among all undergraduate engineering programs at national public institutions. This is a gain of 12 spots, from 76 in last year’s rankings. Among all national universities, the college is ranked at 100, an improvement of 15 places.

“These rankings are based on the perception of our undergraduate program among our peers,” explained John English, dean of engineering. “And it’s great to see that the work done by our faculty and staff to provide a quality education to our students has been recognized by others in our field. In the College of Engineering, we’re putting an emphasis on continuous improvement, and I hope our future accomplishments will also be reflected in the future rankings.”

In recent years, the College of Engineering has created a biomedical engineering department, the only one of its kind in the state. The College has initiated several projects intended to identify and support its strengths and set a course for improvement. These include creating a research task force, hiring an associate dean for research and spearheading the creation of a new strategic plan for the college.

“We see a lot new ideas and new energy emerging from the College of Engineering,” said Provost Sharon Gaber. “And I believe we’re seeing the results of that effort in the latest rankings. I’m confident we’ll continue on this positive trajectory, and that the College of Engineering will make key contributions to the university’s vision of reaching the top 50 ranks.”