As 2013 draws to a close, NIU Today offers a look back at 25 of the top stories from the year.
No. 3
U.S. News and World Report honored three NIU colleges with rankings in 2013.
In September, the magazine once again named the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology as one of the nation’s Top 50 engineering programs where the highest available degree is a bachelor’s or master’s degree.
The college ranks 45th on a list of 203 programs. The U.S. News rankings were based upon surveys sent to the dean and a faculty member at each of the engineering programs accredited by ABET, asking them to rank programs on a scale of 1 to 5.
Meanwhile, the magazine placed the NIU College of Business among the top 30 percent of business schools in the nation.
The college ranked No. 119 on the list of Best Undergraduate Business Programs, climbing 47 spots from last year. The college now sits among the top 30 percent of the 388 schools ranked by the magazine. This year’s rankings are based exclusively on ratings from deans and faculty at other colleges of business.
Just as the new year dawned in January, online graduate programs in the NIU College of Education were dubbed fourth best in the nation.
The magazine ranked 208 schools that met the criteria for all-online graduate programs, and each was measured in four categories. NIU fared well in each: selectivity (13th); faculty credentials, both academic and specifically for teaching online courses (11); student services and technology (14th); and student engagement (fourth).
The engagement measurements included factors such as graduation and retention rates, time to graduation and class size and other factors.
