News

MIT tops US News and World Report rankings once again

Mar. 16, 2012

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Graphic by Connor Kirschbaum—The Tech

MIT tops US News and World Report rankings once again

It doesn’t come as a surprise that U.S. News and World Report has once again ranked MIT as the overall best graduate engineering school in the country. MIT has held this title since 1990, the year U.S. News began ranking engineering programs. Notably, the following engineering departments — chemical, materials, computer, and electrical (the latter two tied with Stanford University) — were given first-place ratings. Other specialties with a top-five rank were aeronautics and astronautics (No. 2), mechanical (No. 2), nuclear (No. 2), and biological (No. 5).

MIT’s graduate math program earned a first place rank. Other distinctions in science include tied first-place ranks in physics (tied with Stanford, California Institute of Technology, Harvard University), Chemistry (tied with Caltech, U.C. Berkeley), Earth Sciences (tied with CalTech) and Computer Science (tied with Stanford, Carnegie Mellon University and U.C. Berkeley) graduate programs, and second in Biological Science (tied with Harvard, U.C. Berkeley). MIT even proved its worth in a field outside science and technology, with the economics department earning a number one spot and political science at number nine.

The MIT Sloan School of Management was tied for fourth best business school with Northwestern University and University of Chicago. Among Sloan’s offerings, its programs in information systems, production/operation, and supply/chain logistics came in first. Its MBA degrees in finance and entrepreneurship also earned ranks of fourth and fifth, respectively.

MIT’s undergraduate engineering program paralleled its graduate one with a number one ranking. Overall, MIT was ranked fifth best undergraduate school.

It is important to note that a decrease in ranking in a particular field does not mean the program is any lower quality than it was the year before. Last year, MIT was ranked first in mechanical and aeronautical/astronautical engineering, despite the second place ranking this year. Instead, the rankings change each year because of constantly shifting criteria.

For professional school programs in business, education, engineering, law, and medicine, U.S. News ranks schools based on expert opinions and statistical indicators such as acceptance rates, average GRE scores, starting salaries, and employment rates upon graduation. Programs in the sciences, social sciences and humanities, and health are based solely on ratings and surveys completed by academic experts.

—Adisa Kruayatidee



2 Comments
1
Milan Moravec about 12 years ago

Former MIT Professor resigns Chancellor role at UC Berkeley with the publishing of the world university rankings. UC Berkeley drops in world ranking of universities, again. . UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneaus recruits born abroad and affluent out of state $50,600 tuition students who displace qualified Californians; spends $7,000,000 (prominent East Coast university accomplishing same at 0 cost) for OE consultants but stops consultants from examining Chancellor office for inefficiencies; pays ex-politician $300,000 for a couple lectures; tuition to Return on Investment drops below top 10; QS ranking below top ten. On all-in cost Cal. is now the most expensive public USA university more expensive than Harvard, Yale. Chancellor Birgeneaus fiscal track record is dismal indeed.

Birgeneau would like to blame the politicians, since they stopped giving him every dollar asked for, the state legislators do share some responsibility for the financial crisis. But not in the sense he means. Every year Birgeneau ($450,000 salary) would request a budget increase, the timid UC Regents would agree to it, and the legislature would provide. The hard questions were avoided by all concerned, the Birgeneau leadership inefficiencies just piled up to $150 million .

Its not that Birgeneau was unaware that there were, in fact, waste during his 8 year reign. Faculty staff raised issues with Birgeneau however, when they failed to see relevant action taken, they stopped. Finally, Birgeneau engaged expensive ($7,000,000 ) OE consultants to tell him what he should have known as a leader or been able to find out from the bright, engaged people. (Prominent east-coast University accomplishing same at 0 costs)

2
Milan Moravec about 12 years ago

Former MIT Professor resigns Chancellor role at UC Berkeley with the publishing of the world university rankings. UC Berkeley drops in world ranking of universities, again. . UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneaus recruits born abroad and affluent out of state $50,600 tuition students who displace qualified Californians; spends $7,000,000 (prominent East Coast university accomplishing same at 0 cost) for OE consultants but stops consultants from examining Chancellor office for inefficiencies; pays ex-politician $300,000 for a couple lectures; tuition to Return on Investment drops below top 10; QS ranking below top ten. On all-in cost Cal. is now the most expensive public USA university more expensive than Harvard, Yale. Chancellor Birgeneaus fiscal track record is dismal indeed.

Birgeneau would like to blame the politicians, since they stopped giving him every dollar asked for, the state legislators do share some responsibility for the financial crisis. But not in the sense he means. Every year Birgeneau ($450,000 salary) would request a budget increase, the timid UC Regents would agree to it, and the legislature would provide. The hard questions were avoided by all concerned, the Birgeneau leadership inefficiencies just piled up to $150 million .

Its not that Birgeneau was unaware that there were, in fact, waste during his 8 year reign. Faculty staff raised issues with Birgeneau however, when they failed to see relevant action taken, they stopped. Finally, Birgeneau engaged expensive ($7,000,000 ) OE consultants to tell him what he should have known as a leader or been able to find out from the bright, engaged people. (Prominent east-coast University accomplishing same at 0 costs)

Cals senior management is either incompetent or culpable. We are sympathetic to the running of higher education with declining state money. However, Cal. has been badly damaged by Chancellor Birgeneau. Good people are loosing their jobs. Recommendation: You never want a crisis to go to waste. Increasing Cals budget is not the solution. Honorably retire UC Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau. Email opinions to UC Board of Regents marsha.kelmanucop.edu

(The author has 35 years consulting experience, has taught at University of California Berkeley where he observed the way Cal. senior management work)