More than a regional player in the Northeast, Western New England University (WNE) is now ranked among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in its Best National Universities 2021 and among the Top 100 Undergraduate Engineering programs.
The rankings offer an in-depth look at more than 1,400 institutions of higher education nationwide. Schools in the National Universities classification and rakings put WNE in the company of schools such as the University of Chicago and Carnegie Mellon University that offer a full range of undergraduate majors, plus master's and doctoral programs. These colleges also are committed to producing groundbreaking research.
U.S. News considers several different measures related to academic excellence in compiling the annual rankings, including the opinions of the academic community, student retention rates, graduation rates, faculty resources, class sizes, student achievement, and alumni giving.
The Undergraduate Engineering program rankings were based on peer assessment surveys. To qualify to appear on an undergraduate engineering peer assessment survey, a school must have an undergraduate engineering program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, ABET. ABET accreditation ensures that students, employers and the society can be confident that a program meets the quality standards that produce graduates prepared to enter a global workforce.
In response to growing industry demand, the College of Engineering has introduced new undergraduate and graduate programs in Construction Management for the fall of 2021; a PhD in Industrial Engineering, a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, and an MS in Mechanical Engineering Acoustics Processing for Cell and Gene Therapy. Cross-disciplinary courses offered at the University range from Surveying to Accounting, CAD to Cost Management.
"The BS and MS programs in construction management are well-rounded degrees combining construction management, business, communication, and engineering courses. Our graduates will have the skillsets to manage construction projects from beginning to end and keep projects running smoothly, safely, on time, and within budget," explains College of Engineering Dean Dr. S. Hossein Cheraghi.
"The College of Engineering has had a nearly 100% placement rate over the last 30 years - 96% in 2020. Starting salaries average $71,500." says Bryan Gross, Vice President for Enrollment Management. "We want to do everything we can to make it more affordable to attend Western New England University so the University is offering a $5,000 Women in Engineering Scholarship and a $1,000 FIRST Robotics Scholarship in addition to Merit Scholarships up to $22,000 a year."
WNE's rise in US News and World Report, are endemic of the University's vision for its future under the new leadership of President Robert Johnson.
"Our graduating students are both work-ready and world-ready people who understand that they are part of something bigger than themselves as global citizens and who can make contributions to their employers and the world. This distinction by US News is another shining example and recognition that our students are prepared for the future of work," stated WNE University President Dr. Robert Johnson.
WNE has also earned the prestigious classification among Doctoral/Professional Universities by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and has been named in the Top 3% of Best Value schools by the Economist Magazine.
To learn more about Western New England University's College of Engineering visit https://www1.wne.edu/engineering/.
