Urbana, IL 61801, Top 10 Engineering University USA, Rank – 5, University of Illinois
Urbana, IL 61801, Top 10 Engineering University USA, Rank – 5, University of Illinois
901 West Illinois Street, Urbana, IL 61801
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, or simply Illinois) is a public research university in the state of Illinois. The presence of a steam engine on the University’s seal indicates the importance of the engineering program in the University. Engineering at Illinois consistently ranks amongst the top five such engineering colleges in the United States by the U.S. News and World Report. The College of Engineering at Illinois offers Graduate Programs in Engineering divided within 12 specialized departments. The departments include Aerospace Engineering, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Bioengineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial & Enterprise Systems Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Science and Engineering, Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering and Physics.
Rankings
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| ARWU[42] | 19 |
| Forbes[43] | 68 |
| U.S. News & World Report[44] | 41 |
| Washington Monthly[45] | 19 |
| Global | |
| ARWU[46] | 25 |
| QS[47] | 56 |
| Times[48] | 33 |
In its 2012 listings, U.S. News & World Report ranked the undergraduate program 45th among nationally accredited universities and 13th among nationally accredited public universities.[49] The graduate program had 60 disciplines ranked within the top 30 nationwide, including 23 within the top five. U.S. News & World Report ranked the undergraduate and graduate Accounting programs 2nd and 4th respectively in the United States in their 2011 rankings; both programs had been ranked 1st at the same time in previous years. The College of Business as a whole was ranked 12th nationally. The College of Engineering was ranked 5th at the graduate level, with 14 disciplines ranked within the top ten. Chemistry and Physics were also ranked within the top ten at the graduate level. The College of Education had six programs ranked within the top ten. The Graduate School of Library and Information Science was ranked 1st, with five programs ranked within the top ten. Many arts programs were ranked within the first quartile, such as Architecture and Fine Arts. The Computer Science, Material Science, Agricultural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Accounting, Finance, Economics and Psychology are the university’s most visibly distinguished departments. The university was also listed as a “Public Ivy” in Greene’s Guides in 2001.[50]
International rankings by The Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University suggest that Illinois is the 19th best university in North America, and 25th best university in the world.[51] The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Broad Subject Fields from the same research center in 2008 positions Illinois in 3rd for Engineering/Technology and Computer Sciences in the world. It is ranked 19th for Life and Agriculture Sciences, 20th for Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and 51st for Social Sciences.[52]
In 2012, Illinois was ranked 56th in the world by QS World University Rankings,[53] increasing its position from the 2009 THE-QS World University Rankings (in 2010, Times Higher Education World University Rankings and QS World University Rankings parted ways to produce separate rankings). However, Illinois had been ranked within the top 40 in the past. The THE-QS rankings have been criticized due to their volatility: it stressed international popularity and ranks fluctuated tens of places from one year to the next.[54] The WSJ ranking of business schools also has this inherited anomaly, attributable to its survey method.
“Although there is no formal ranking process for HR/IR programs, employers and students acknowledge that the University of Illinois is one of the top three programs” according to the School of Labor and Employment Relations website.[55]
In the 2008 release of Webometrics Ranking of World Universities by Cybermetrics Lab, which is a research unit of the National Research Council of Spain, the University was ranked 9th.[56] In 2006, G-Factor, another academic list trying to measure social network efficacy of universities, has ranked Illinois within the top eight.[57] A human competitiveness index and analysis by the Human Resources & Labor Review, and published in Chasecareer Network, ranked the university 25th internationally in 2010.[58] As of 2007, Washington Monthly ranks Illinois as the 11th best university in the nation, and 9th among public universities. The methodology of the ranking includes “how well it performs as an engine of social mobility,” “how well it does in fostering scientific and humanistic research,” and “how well it promotes an ethic of service to country.”[59]
Newsweek International listed Illinois as one of Top 100 Global Universities,[60] which “takes into account openness and diversity, as well as distinction in research.” Kiplinger’s Personal Finance also listed Illinois in its 100 Best Values in Public Colleges,[61] which “measures academic quality, cost and financial aid.”
The Princeton Review has selected Illinois one of the 366 best colleges out of nearly 5,000 degree-granting institutions of higher education in the United States.[62] Nonetheless, the university has come under criticism for its use of graduate teaching assistants in teaching undergraduate courses, including upper-level undergraduate courses. For two consecutive years, the Urbana–Champaign campus topped this review’s[63] category of “teaching assistants teach too many upper level courses.” However, the Princeton Review’s ranking has been scrutinized for its lack of accountability as the Review’s ranking categorical data rely mainly upon student random sampling.[citation needed] The Princeton Review also ranked Illinois 3rd on its 2014 list of top party schools.
