The College of Engineering was ranked 29^th in the nation, continuing its history of ranking in the top tier. Additionally, 12 specialty engineering programs received high marks, with three in the top 10 in their fields: industrial and systems engineering, ranked 6th; environmental engineering, ranked 7th; and civil engineering ranked 9^th.

Six speciality programs are among the top 20 in the nation: biological systems engineering, a joint program between the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, at 15; aerospace engineering, also at 15; mechanical engineering, at 17; computer engineering, at 18; nuclear engineering, also at 18; and electrical engineering, at 19. Material engineering ranked No. 31 in its field, while chemical engineering was listed No. 33 among such programs, and biomedical engineering was 37th.

“Through collaboration, experiential learning opportunities, and globally impactful research, our engineering faculty continue to empower graduate students to become technical leaders that improve the human condition,” said Jack Lesko, associate dean of research and graduate studies for Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering. “We are excited to see that the college has climbed significantly in the rankings, while civil and environmental engineering and industrial and systems engineering programs are holding strong in the top 10.”

“Biological systems engineering is the engineering discipline that applies concepts of biology, chemistry, and physics, along with engineering science and design principles, to solve problems in biological systems. Our faculty have developed cutting-edge programs in the areas of vaccines, water resources protection, synthetic biology, and public health,” said Dwayne Edwards, department head for biological systems engineering, said of the top-20 ranked program. “Our integrated extension and research activities benefit citizens of the commonwealth on a daily basis, and technologies under development show promise of direct and enduring global impacts.”

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine received its first public ranking in the 2021 survey. Medical schools were ranked two categories: research and primary care. Among the 122 schools that were ranked in the research category, the School of Medicine was listed at 81.