Ag Engineering Program at U of I Remains on Top
Published: Oct. 4, 2007
URBANA - For the second year in a row, the undergraduate program in agricultural engineering at the University of Illinois has been ranked the best in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
"We continue to have a high quality program," said K.C. Ting, head of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE). "It's hard to hold on to number one—it's a slippery slope. But we have been in the top three for quite a while, so our program has always been strong."
"America's Best Colleges" is published each year by U.S. News, and the 2008 edition places Illinois in the top spot, followed by Iowa State and Cornell.
U.S. News ranks undergraduate programs accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology based solely on the judgments of deans and senior faculty from participating colleges, who rate each program they are familiar with on a scale from 1 (marginal) to 5 (distinguished). U.S. News also asks for nominations of the best programs in specialty areas (such as ag engineering); those receiving the most mentions are ranked in the publication.
"Agricultural engineering is a unique program on the Illinois campus," Ting explained. "The ABE department belongs to the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) and the College of Engineering. Students can be admitted to the program from either college."
Students who are admitted to ACES complete their first two years in that college, then move to the College of Engineering and graduate with an engineering degree.
"The College of Engineering is one of the top five in the nation, and the College of ACES is at the top as well," said Ting. "For an ag engineering program to belong to two top five colleges, that's pretty good. We are the only program that can really say that."
Also, having a number-one ranked program helps the department when it comes time to recruit new students, Ting said.
"Students and parents pay attention to that. When they ask, we're happy to be able to say, 'Yes, our program is number one,'" he said.
Although the U.S. News ranking refers to the undergraduate program, the entire department benefits from the recognition, Ting noted. "International students see that we have a strong department that supports good educational programs, so we also benefit by being able to recruit very high quality graduate students internationally."
Finally, Ting acknowledges that being able to stay at number one will be a 'very difficult thing.'
"Iowa State moved up quickly this year," he said. "Then you have Cornell, and then a three-way tie for fourth place—UC Davis, Texas A & M and Purdue. They are all very good. It's hard to differentiate. We're in very good company.
"But that's okay," he concluded. "It's nice to be with the best of the best."
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