West Virginia University’s graduate engineering programs are among the best in the nation, according to the 2007 edition ofAmerica’s Best Graduate Schoolsfrom U.S.News and World Report.

WVU ’s graduate engineering program is ranked 89th among engineering schools surveyed that grant doctoral degrees. There are approximately 350 engineering schools in the nation that offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Peer evaluation and other factors form the basis for the rankings, according to the publication. Deans and senior faculty members evaluate programs in their respective disciplines.

These rankings are indicative of the growing national stature of our engineering programs,said Gene Cilento, Glen H. Hiner Dean of the WVU College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.There are three main reasons for themthe growth of our funded research programs, the excellence of our faculty in graduate education and research and the high caliber of our graduate students.

The college provides graduate engineering programs in aerospace, chemical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial, mechanical, mining, petroleum and natural gas and software engineering. In addition, the college offers undergraduate programs in a wide range of engineering specialties, computer science and biometrics, plus graduate programs in safety management and occupational safety and health.

Since 2000, the college has experienced a 50 percent enrollment increase to a current total of more than 2,900 undergraduate and graduate students. Recent accomplishments include an investment of nearly $14 million in new and upgraded facilities, laboratories and equipment; a significant increase in external research funding and an increased emphasis on Ph.D. research, Cilento said.

Graduates of the college take leadership positions in major industries, explore the world for new energy resources, and work in cutting-edge fields like nanotechnology, environmental engineering and biometrics, he added.