U.S. News ranks CSUB a 2020 Best College

Engineering program earns national recognition

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 10^th, 2019

California State University, Bakersfield distinguished itself in several categories in the highly anticipated U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges edition, released Monday.

For the first time in the history of the annual ranking, U.S. News & World Report included a social mobility category, which recognizes how well colleges serve low-income students. CSU Bakersfield ranked 22 out of 113 schools ranked for social mobility in the Western region, a vast swath of the country that covers 15 states.

“We’re always so proud any time CSUB is acknowledged for our achievements,” said CSUB President, Dr. Lynnette Zelezny. “But the category that means the most to me is social mobility because it is a validation that our efforts to be inclusive and impactful, particularly with our first- generation college students, is working.”

CSUB was 28th of 113 colleges in the Top Public Schools category and 66th of 128 schools in the overall ranking of Western region schools.

In its first year of eligibility, CSUB’s undergraduate engineering program earned recognition, ranking 97th of 210 engineering programs in the nation. In 2018, the program achieved a milestone, earning the coveted seal of approval from the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET) following a rigorous process. Only schools that are ABET accredited are eligible for ranking in the U.S. News & World Report survey.

“With a well-qualified faculty, small classes, and ample opportunities for hands-on, project- based experiences, our three new engineering programs offer a top-notch engineering education, and we are so pleased that the quality of this education has been recognized by U.S. News and World Reports,” said Dr. Kathleen Madden, dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering.

CSUB master’s programs in public affairs and social work also received rankings.

U.S. News provides nearly 50 types of numerical rankings and lists in its annual survey, launched in 1987. The rankings are based on a number of criteria, including six-year graduation rates, more than one-third of the overall score. For the first time, U.S. News has taken into consideration a university’s proportion of first-time college students, an acknowledgment that graduation rates can be affected by that unique variable. Other factors include faculty resources, class size, expert opinion, student excellence and financial resources.

In August, CSUB was ranked No. 6 as Best Bang for the Buck in the West, and the university’s graduate school program was ranked No. 17.

“I am pleased to note that the undergraduate programs offered by the School of Business and Public Administration is ranked top 292 out of 503 by the 2020 US News and World Report. The School of Business and Public Administration is one of the 5% of business schools around the world that have the international gold standard, “AACSB Accreditation” for assuring high quality business education. Only 33% of the business schools are AACSB accredited in the US," said Angappa Gunasekaran, dean of the School of Business and Public Administration.

U.S. News top schools

Western regional universities: Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, followed by University of Portland in Portland, Ore., and Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash. The top regional university in California is Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, at No. 4.
Western universities for social mobility: Mount Saint Mary’s in Los Angeles, followed by Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, OK and Cal State Monterey Bay.
Western public schools: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Fullerton.
Undergraduate engineering programs in the nation: Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Ind., Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Calif., and Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Needham, Mass.
National universities: Princeton, followed in order by Harvard, Columbia, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale. Stanford, at No. 6, was the highest-ranked national university in California.