The undergraduate program in chemical engineering at Rice University is ranked No. 19 in the country in the latest edition of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges” guidebook, up six spots from last year.
“It’s wonderful to see our department ranked alongside other excellent programs around the country,” said Mike Wong, Tina and Sunit Patel Professor in Molecular Nanotechnology and chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering. “I think our way of teaching chemical engineering builds on the best traditions of our discipline while blending in the latest technological advances and scientific knowledge.”
The annual survey evaluates more than 400 colleges and universities, ranking them based on quality of undergraduate programs and value. Rice has routinely rated among the nation’s top 20 universities since first appearing on the list in 1988.
Overall, Rice ranked No. 17 among the nation’s finest universities. Rice also ranked No. 5 on the list of the nation’s best values in higher education, up one spot from last year. Rice remains the highest rated university in Texas and the No. 15 highest rated private university in the country.
The U.S. News rankings are one of the most closely watched indicators of academic excellence among the nation’s institutions of higher education. U.S. News says its latest rankings are based on 17 measures of academic quality at 1,500 institutions granting bachelor’s degrees across the nation.