Pennsylvania State University

Distinguished Groups

• Student Alumni Corps
• Schreyer Honors College

Academic firsts

Penn State was the first university in the United States to http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/firsts/firsts.html:

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• award baccalaureate and graduate degrees in agriculture (1861 and 1863)
• offer undergraduate study in American Literature (1897)
• offer an industrial engineering baccalaureate degree program (1909)
• offer a baccalaureate degree in fuel science (1932)
• operate a nuclear reactor capable of nuclear fission (1955)
• found a graduate program to help Native Americans develop leadership skills that will allow them to return to their communities as role models (1970)

Recognition

The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities, a book published by Greene's Guides, included Penn State among the Public Ivies, public universities that offer an academic experience of Ivy League or close caliber combined with affordably priced tuition.

Related Topics:
Public Ivies - Ivy League

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The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2006 gives Penn State - University Park an academic rating of 4.5 stars out of 5.

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The Washington Monthly ranks Penn State as the #6 national university in the country.

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Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Academic Ranking of World Universities 2005 ranks Penn State - University Park as the #30 university in the U.S. and the #39 university in the world.

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