Researchers at the Center for World-Class Universities of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, published The Academic Ranking of World Universities, which reported N.C. State is No. 27 of the top 200 universities in the world in the field of engineering.
In the U.S., The ARWU ranks engineering at N.C. State No. 20 in the nation, but among public universities alone in the University ranks No. 12.
The ARWU evaluates more than 1000 institutions.
“Institutions were ranked based on several indicators, such as highly cited researchers, papers indexed in science citation index-expanded, the percentage of papers published in the subject journals that are regarded as the top 20 percent of all subject related journals and the expenditures the institution invests in the subject related research,” according to ARWU.
According to the College of Engineering, the university spent nearly $160 million in research expenditures during the 2012-2013 school year.
“That’s significant,” said Louis Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering.
The college of engineering’s goal is not to only be a leading U.S. public college in the field but also one of the very top in the world, Vega said.
“I think it’s a point of pride,” said Vega. “The fact that we are at that level… with how many colleges of engineering are around the world.”
The colleges that made the list make up an elite group, the number ranked in the field of engineering only included 200 schools in the whole world.
In addition to the ARWU, the U.S. News and World Report ranked N.C. State 8th in up-and-coming schools as well as 29th in graduate engineering programs.
Vega said he attributes the success of the college to its faculty and students.
“We’ve been able to bring in some really outstanding faculty,” Vega said. “It’s a result quite honestly of just tremendous efforts by our faculty and our staff and students. Our students are extremely competitive; externally they win all sorts of award and things”
60 percent of incoming freshman in the college are in the top 10 percent of their class according to the College of Engineering’s website.
Members of faculty have received honors such as National Medals of Technology and Innovation, Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring and an Emmy Award for plasma display technology.
Vega said he believes it is critical for the university as a whole, that the college of engineering continues to thrive. Vega said he wants to make it clear that he is not satisfied, and he wants his college to go even higher.
“In my mind we want to be even higher,” said Vega. “We don’t want this to be a high water mark.”
Vega said he has high expectations for his college most of all because of the impact it will have on the success of its students in terms of career opportunities.
“It’s one of the best engineering schools,” said Arda Cole, a sophomore in computer engineering. “Several different top college lists say that it’s one of the best”
Cole said he desires to have a career working with computers and chose to come to the University because of its reputation and what he heard from various college university rankings.
According to Vega the college of engineering’s reputation and growth has attracted employers from all over to take an interest in N.C. State students.
“We’ve got 300 plus companies coming here to look at hiring and recruiting engineering and computer science students for full-time positions, co-op positions and internship positions,” said Vega referring to the Engineering Career Fair.
Companies who attended in the past include Microsoft Corporation, Centex Homes and AT&T.
Vega says part of the college of engineering’s responsibility is to help it achieve its goal of being a premier technological research university.
“The goal is to continue to move upwards, really for the benefit of our students more than anything else,” Vega said.
