News
Embry-Riddle retains No. 1 spot

Highlights of the rankings of more than 1,400 accredited four-year schools in the United States will be available today at www.usnews.com/colleges and the 2012 “Best Colleges” guidebook will appear on newsstands Sept. 20.
 
In the specialty category of “Best Undergraduate Aerospace/Aeronautical/Astronautical Engineering Programs at Schools Whose Highest Degree is a Bachelor’s or Master’s,” Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus took first place and the University’s Prescott, Ariz., campus was #3.
 
Additionally, in the broader category of “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs at Schools Whose Highest Degree is a Bachelor’s or Master’s,” Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus is ranked #11 and the Prescott campus has continued its steady climb, reaching #16 this year.
 
“We are very proud of our College of Engineering,” said Embry-Riddle President John P. Johnson. “This makes the 12th consecutive year that they have received the U.S. News & World Report ranking as the best undergraduate program in the nation. We feel that this is a positive reflection on the quality of our faculty and their commitment to both excellence in the classroom and knowledge discovery.”
 
Embry-Riddle offers bachelor’s degrees in aerospace engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering physics, mechanical engineering, and software engineering; master’s degrees in aerospace engineering, computer and electrical engineering, engineering physics, mechanical engineering, and software engineering; and a doctoral degree in engineering physics.
 
The pool of eligible schools for the “Best in Undergraduate Engineering” rankings is based on accreditation by ABET Inc., which evaluates college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. The rankings are based on the judgments of engineering deans and senior faculty, who rate each program they are familiar with. A few engineering schools with small doctoral programs are placed in the bachelor’s and master’s category.
 
Also of note, the “Best Colleges” guide this year named Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus #11 in the category of “Best Regional Universities (South),” a ranking of 121 institutions that grant primarily bachelor’s and master’s degrees. This is the 10th straight year that Embry-Riddle has placed among the top 25 schools in this category.
 
The rankings for the “Best Regional Universities (South)” category are based on reputation (25 per cent), graduation and retention rates (25 per cent), faculty resources (20 per cent), student selectivity (15 per cent), financial resources (10 per cent), and alumni giving rate (5 per cent).