{"id":141934,"date":"2024-06-18T09:10:14","date_gmt":"2024-06-18T13:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=141934"},"modified":"2025-04-15T19:40:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T23:40:22","slug":"us-news-engineering-graduate-programs-rankings-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/us-news-engineering-graduate-programs-rankings-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Graduate Programs in Engineering, Computer Science Highlight Research in U.S. News Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fueled by world-class faculty<\/a> with groundbreaking research<\/a> and strong industry partnerships, UCF serves Florida as its premier engineering and technology<\/a> university.<\/p>\n

College of Engineering and Computer Science<\/a> faculty are leaders in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), hypersonic travel, energy, next-generation computing hardware and aerospace, fields that are major economic drivers for Florida and that are critical to our state and nation\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report<\/em>‘s ranked nine of UCF’s other graduate programs among the top 50 on the 2024 Best Graduate Schools<\/a> list.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This pioneering engineering research by expert UCF faculty prepares students to thrive in their careers, as does UCF\u2019s longstanding relationships with industry partners<\/a> who are eager to hire talented students. Partners include Electronic Arts, Lockheed Martin, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Siemens, Walt Disney World and Universal Studios.<\/p>\n

Collectively, UCF\u2019s cutting-edge, high-impact teaching practices and partnerships have drawn many recognitions, including the latest from U.S. News & World Report\u2019s<\/em> Best Graduate Schools rankings.<\/p>\n

Today, U.S. News & World Report <\/em>ranks three of UCF\u2019s engineering and computer science graduate programs among the top 50 in the nation. The industrial\/manufacturing\/systems engineering program is ranked No. 43, aerospace is No. 47 and computer engineering is No. 50.<\/strong> Two other programs \u2014 materials engineering and electrical\/electronic\/communications engineering \u2014 ranked just outside the top 50, at No. 52 and No. 53 respectively.<\/p>\n

A total of nine engineering and computer science programs rank among the top 50 among the nation\u2019s public universities.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur outstanding engineering faculty are conducting impactful research that is advancing our knowledge of space<\/a>, modeling and simulation, virtual and augmented reality, and many other high-tech fields,\u201d says Michael D. Johnson, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. \u201cThey are innovators and inventors fueling our region\u2019s economy and our society\u2019s quality of life, healthcare<\/a>, energy and transportation systems<\/a>, and they excel at preparing our graduates to thrive in their careers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twenty-nine percent of Kennedy Space Center employees and 25% of Lockheed Martin\u2019s Orlando employees earned UCF degrees. Aviation Week Network<\/em> has named UCF the No. 1 supplier of graduates to the aerospace and defense industry<\/a> for six consecutive years.<\/p>\n

Bringing More Brilliant Minds Together<\/h2>\n

UCF\u2019s College of Engineering and Computer Science produces 25% of Florida\u2019s engineering and computer science graduates, according to the State University System. The college\u2019s goal is to educate 25,000 engineering and technology students by increasing capacity by 50%.<\/p>\n

One important path to achieving that goal is to expand the college\u2019s faculty. Last year and this year combined, the college has hired 55 new faculty members, including many with expertise in the strategic investment program areas identified by the university, such as AI, energy, next-generation computing hardware, space-aerospace, digital twin and infectious diseases. The new faculty hires will further strengthen the college\u2019s research initiatives and opportunities for students to learn alongside talented faculty in the classroom and in research labs.<\/p>\n

Plans for this fall also include one new degree program. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will launch a master of science in robotics and autonomous systems program<\/a>. Students will learn to analyze, design and develop robotics and autonomous systems including self-driving cars, drones, medical robots and even mechanical dogs.<\/p>\n

The new faculty and degree program join a host of current UCF engineering and computer science faculty who are conducting groundbreaking research:<\/p>\n