DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the 10th year in a row, the annual "America's Best Colleges" guide published by U.S. News & World Report has ranked Embry-Riddle's aerospace engineering program #1 in the nation and has placed the University in the top tier of all schools granting master's degrees.
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 campus took first place and the Prescott, Ariz., campus was honored with a third-place ranking. 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 was ranked #12.
In the category of "Best Universities - Master's (South)," Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus was ranked #12 among 56 master's degree-granting institutions in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
"I commend the College of Engineering faculty at our Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses for their outstanding showing in this year's rankings," said Embry-Riddle President John P. Johnson. "Our success is the direct result of their daily accomplishments in the University's classrooms and laboratories."
Embry-Riddle offers the following bachelor's degrees in engineering: aerospace engineering, civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical and systems engineering, engineering physics, mechanical engineering, and software engineering. Master's degrees are offered in aerospace engineering, engineering physics, mechanical engineering, and software engineering.
The University was recently authorized by its accrediting agency, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, to offer its first two Ph.D. degree programs, in aviation and engineering physics, with both programs launching in 2010.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings for the "Best University" category are based on reputation (25%), graduation and retention rates (25%), faculty resources (20%), student selectivity (15%), financial resources (10%), and alumni giving rate (5%). The rankings for the engineering programs are based on the judgments of deans and senior faculty who rated each program they are familiar with.
Highlights of the college rankings will be posted Thursday, Aug. 20, at www.usnews.com and will be published in the September 2009 issue of U.S. News & World Report, available for newsstand purchase Monday, Aug. 24. The 2010 "America's Best Colleges" guidebook will be available starting Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu.
This news release is online at http://www.erau.edu/er/newsmedia/newsreleases/2009/usnews.html.
SOURCE Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
