The Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory is again ranked No.1 in U.S. News & World Report’s latest ranking of the nation’s top undergraduate biomedical engineering programs. The department is a partnership between Emory University’s School of Medicine and Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering. 

“This recognition of our continued excellence in creating and delivering a transformative undergraduate biomedical engineering education underscores the talent of our faculty, staff and students. Using innovative hands-on learning experiences inside the classroom and beyond, we prepare students to tackle the important problems in health and disease,” said Susan Margulies, chair of the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering. “Our programs are training the pioneers of tomorrow for a diverse range of career paths—leveraging the strengths of our in-depth engineering and medical knowledge across Georgia Tech and the Emory School of Medicine.” 

Georgia Tech's undergraduate engineering program is tied for No. 4 in the country by U.S. News & World Report, continuing the placement of the College of Engineering among the elite stature in American engineering education.

“This is indeed a reflection of the strong and sustained efforts demonstrated by our engineering chairs, faculty, staff and students,” said Steven W. McLaughlin, incoming dean of engineering at Georgia Tech. “We continue to strive to provide the best engineering education possible, and create an environment where today’s students are developed as tomorrow’s thinkers, leaders, and creators. While rankings do not tell the whole story regarding a campus or program, they do demonstrate the commitment that each of the individual Schools have toward our students and to excellence in education and research.”

Program scores are based on surveys of deans and faculty members at other universities. The U.S. News rankings can carry heavy influence among current undergraduates, professors, prospective students, peer institutions and the media. 

The overall College of Engineering (CoE) ranking –  marks the fifth time CoE has grabbed this spot on the U.S. News chart, and it again ties the College with the California Institute of Technology's engineering program.

The Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering held on to its No. 1 ranking for the 23rd year in a row, while the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering earned its discipline’s top slot for the second time. A joint venture with Emory University, the Coulter Department was also ranked No. 1 in last year’s review.

All engineering specialties, but one, at Georgia Tech placed in the top 5 of their kinds, a unique distinction for a program as large as CoE’s. The College also had three number two programs in the country - aerospace engineering, civil engineering, and environmental engineering.

Media Contacts:

Walter Rich


Communications Manager


Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering


Georgia Institute of Technology