JMU Engineering ranks 22nd in US News Reports
News
By: Haley Huchler, CISE student writer
JMU’s Engineering program is ranked 22nd in Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs at schools where doctorates are not offered, according to U.S. News Reports.
Last year, JMU’s Engineering Program was ranked 26th. “We’re really excited - this is the first year that the program has broken into the top 25,” says Bob Kolvoord, Dean of JMU”s College of Integrated Science and Engineering (CISE).
“The ranking is a tremendous testament to the quality and impact of our program and its faculty, and the recognition that they’re garnering nationally,” said Kolvoord. “However, we’re not going to rest on our laurels. We’re going to keep improving our curriculum, providing the best program we can for students, and the best environment for faculty to do their work.”
Engineering programs are ranked based on peer assessment surveys. To appear on an undergraduate engineering survey, schools must have an ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering program.
“The ranking reflects the hard work faculty and students have dedicated to the program over the years,” says Adebayo Ogundipe, Head of JMU’s Engineering Department. “Once you see this kind of growth, this kind of movement, then it means there is an appreciation of what we do – it’s the faculty, the staff, and the students. It is not the work of one individual - it is the work of the community.
“Although students don’t specialize in one particular discipline area, the ability to essentially sample, to know, to learn, to figure out what your real interests are, is definitely a strong factor in our program,” said Ogundipe, who credits JMU’s non-disciplinary focused program and project-based curriculum as factors in JMU’s high ranking.
