The U.S. National Science Foundation HERD Survey recognizes Penn State's strengths in research and materials innovation once again.
The HERD survey provides the primary national ranking of U.S. universities based on their annual research and development expenditures. As an annual census of institutions with at least $150,000 in R&D spending, the HERD rankings track research investment by field, funding source, and research activity across more than 900 U.S. colleges and universities. These rankings highlight institutional research strength and innovation capacity. Learn more at research.psu/edu
#1 in Materials Science
#2 in Materials Engineering
Penn State rises in NSF Higher Education Research and Development rankings
U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings evaluate nearly 1,700 U.S. institutions each year, assessing undergraduate and graduate programs using up to 17 measures of academic quality. The rankings cover a wide range of academic areas and incorporate factors such as faculty resources, student outcomes, academic reputation, and programs that enrich the student experience.
Undergraduate Programs
In materials engineering where the highest engineering degree offered is a doctorate.
#12 in Materials Engineering (2026)
Graduate Programs
#9 in Materials Engineering (2025)
Note that specialty rankings are not available in all disciplines at the undergraduate level, and not all disciplines are ranked every year.
ScholarGPS is a comprehensive scholarly analytics platform that delivers fully quantitative global rankings of scholars and institutions. Its database includes over 30 million scholar profiles across 120,000+ institutions worldwide, offering detailed metrics, publication histories, and specialty classifications. These rankings are based solely on research productivity, impact, and quality, providing an objective and data‑driven measure of academic excellence.
#1 lifetime ranking among global academic institutions in Materials Science and Engineering (2022-2025 rankings)
The QS World University Rankings are an annual global ranking system published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) that evaluates universities worldwide. Institutions are assested using performance metrics such as academic reputation, employer reputation, sustainability, and overall institutional impact. Widely considered one of the leading international university rankings, QS provides a trusted comparison tool for students, educators, and institutions.
#37 - Materials Science
Penn State programs competitive in 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject
The Academic Ranking of World Universities’ Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) evaluates universities worldwide across 57 subjects in the natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences, and social sciences. Introduced by ShanghaiRanking, GRAS uses nine objective indicators—covering world‑class faculty, research output, research quality, impact, and international collaboration—to assess approximately 2,000 universities from about 100 countries. This ranking provides a data‑driven comparison of subject‑level excellence, helping highlight global leaders in specialized academic disciplines.
2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects
#17 in Materials Science & Engineering
#51-75 in Metallurgical Engineering
Penn State shows academic excellence in 2025 global ranking of academic subjects
