UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Graduate programs in Penn State's College of Earth and Mineral Sciences were recently recognized among the nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report's 2023 Best Graduate Schools rankings.
In the annual list, released March 29, programs in the Department of Geosciences were again ranked highly. Earth Sciences tied for No. 6 overall and five of the subspeciality programs ranked in the top ten overall: environmental sciences tied for No. 2, geochemistry tied for No. 3, geology ranked No. 3, paleontology tied for No. 7 and geophysics and seismology tied for No. 9.
Several specialty engineering subdisciplines offered by Penn State are ranked in the top 20 nationally, including two in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. Petroleum engineering in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering ranked No. 7 overall, and materials engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering ranked No. 11 overall. Graduate programs in Engineering at Penn State University Park ranked No. 32 overall, advancing one place from last year’s report, and No. 18 among public institutions.
"I am gratified that the excellence of our graduate programs is reflected in these rankings," said Lee Kump, John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences. “Our graduate students benefit from the superb mentoring of our faculty and from opportunities to participate in cutting-edge research.”
Designed for prospective students looking to further their education beyond college, the Best Graduate Schools rankings evaluate programs in a variety of disciplines, including business, education, engineering, law, medicine and nursing. Each ranking uses different indicators of excellence across the fields of study to assess the quality of each program. One common success metric is both the preparedness of a school’s incoming students and the career or academic outcomes of a school’s graduates.