April 14, 2008

U.S. News and World Report ranks two of Purdue's science programs among the top 10 in the nation for 2008

Purdue's analytical chemistry program continues to be ranked second, as its evaluation last year rolls over to this year's survey. The survey does not evaluate all areas of science each year.

"All seven of our science departments are ranked nationally, and two of our programs are among the top 10 in the nation," said Jeffrey S. Vitter, the Frederick L. Hovde Dean of the College of Science. "These rankings are a useful tool as we look to the future and construct our strategic plan for the college. The high regard for the educational environment offered by Purdue evident in these rankings confirms the university as a leader in the sciences."

Purdue's computer science program remains among the top 20 in the nation and is ranked 19th. The systems and programming language rank 16th and 18th, respectively.

"We strive to provide our faculty and students with the tools and support to push the boundaries of science," Vitter said. "New state-of-the-art facilities such as the Lawson Computer Science Building and Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology will allow for future innovations and will spark the imagination of researchers."

Purdue's mathematics and physics programs rank 28th and 36th, respectively. Purdue's applied mathematics program is ranked 19th.

"The statistics program's top-10 ranking shows Purdue's strength in a field crucial to all forms of research, and the ranking in applied mathematics is a great testament to what the Center for Computational and Applied Mathematics has done in recent years."

In carry-overs from last year's evaluations, Purdue's overall chemistry program ranks 22nd, biological sciences program 42nd and earth sciences program 43rd.

The future of science is interdisciplinary work, and it will take scientists from different fields to solve the puzzles that lie ahead, Vitter said.

"Our greatest strength is that we have breadth as well as depth in terms of the expertise in the college and the university as a whole," he said. "The education offered by Purdue expands beyond a student's chosen area of study to enrichment from the many excellent resources throughout the university."

The rankings for "America's Best Graduate Schools" appear in the U.S.News & World Report magazine. The rankings and related articles are available on the magazine's Web site. The annual survey of academic programs has been published since 1987.

The College of Science has 324 faculty members, and it enrolls more than 1,000 graduate students and almost 3,000 undergraduates. It is made up of seven departments: biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and atmospheric sciences, mathematics, physics and statistics.

Writer: Elizabeth Gardner, (765) 494-2081, ekgardner@purdue.edu

Source: Jeffrey S. Vitter, (765) 494-1730, sciencedean@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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