Pennsylvania State University

Academics

Penn State is a research university, known for its breadth of programs in engineering, architecture, economics, business, and the sciences. The Smeal College of Business is AACSB accredited in business and is one of only four Pennsylvania schools to be AACSB accredited in accounting. In 2003 the university devoted $545 million to research, ranking it 12th in the nation http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/seind04/append/c5/at05-04.pdf, and its researchers received nearly $400 million in outside grants toward their projects. Over 10,000 students are enrolled in the university's graduate school, and over 70,000 degrees have been awarded since the school was founded in 1922 http://www.gradsch.psu.edu/aboutus/. Penn State is known for its Geography (#1 graduate program - National Research Council, 2001), Meteorology, and Geosciences programs, in the College of Earth & Mineral Sciences.

Related Topics:
2003 - 1922 - Geography

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The student to faculty ratio at Penn State campuses is 17:1. When the medical school, college of technology, and law school are included, the ratio is 15:1. Many freshman level classes at University Park are large, but classes are much smaller for upperclassmen and for all students at other campuses.

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The Penn State University Libraries are ranked twelfth among research libraries in North America. The university library system began with a modest 1500 book library in Old Main, which has grown to its current 4.8 million volumes, in addition to nearly 500,000 maps, over 5 million microforms, and nearly 160,000 films and videos. http://www.libraries.psu.edu/pubinfo/statslibraries.html

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U.S. News rankings

According to U.S. News Best Colleges 2006 http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php, Penn State nationally ranks http://www.psu.edu/ur/rankings/index.html:

Related Topics:
U.S. News - 2006 - Ranks

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• 48th among national universities doctoral
• 14th among public national universities
• 18th among undergraduate engineering programs
• 4th in industrial/manufacturing, 7th in nuclear, 11th in mechanical, 7th in materials, 24th in electrical, 15th in civil, 17th in chemical, 10th in agricultural, and 12th in aerospace
• 18th among undergraduate business programs
• 4th in supply chain management/logistics, 14th in finance, 9th in management, 16th in marketing, and 12th in production/operations management

According to U.S. News Best Graduate Schools 2006, Penn State ranks

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• 37th among graduate business schools
• 8th in supply chain management/logistics
• 19th among graduate engineering programs
• 3rd in industrial/manufacturing,http://www.ie.psu.edu, 7th in petroleum, 7th in nuclear, 8th in materials, 13th in aerospace, 17th in environmental, 18th in electrical, 19th in chemical, 20th in civil, 21st in computer, and 27th in biomedical/bioengineering
• 34th among schools of education
• 3rd in higher education administration, 4th in vocational/technical education, and 6th in counseling/personnel services
• 90th among law schools
• 28th in economics
• 26th in mathematics
• 33rd in applied mathematics
• 7th in geology
• 27th in physics
• 18th in chemistry
• 45th in biological sciences
• 35th in computer science
• 35th in political science
• 36th in psychology
• 7th in criminology
• 17th in sociology
• 28th in english
• 51st in history
• 57th in public affairs
• 58th in nursing
• 61st in fine arts