Embry-Riddle Prescott campus named No. 1 aeronautical school in nation

PHOENIX — For the second year in a row, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott was named the No. 1 school in the nation for aerospace, aeronautical and astronautical engineering.

U.S. News & World Report named Embry-Riddle better than almost 1,800 accredited four-year schools.

Judgment was based on nominations by deans and senior faculty for the 10 best programs in the aerospace industry that only offer bachelor degrees.

Ron Madler, the dean of the College of Engineering at the Prescott campus, told KTAR News 92.3 FM the student-to-faculty ratio helped cultivate the education.

But it’s not just the numbers that allows the school to excel.

Madler said Embry-Riddle gets some of the top students and professors.

“Our entering engineering students have amongst the highest GPAs of any of the programs in the state,” he said.

“Our faculty in the college of engineering averaged 12 years of prior experience before coming to Embry-Riddle, so that allows them to deliver a real strong, hands-on, experiential learning experience.”

Students have access to the modern technology in the labs and professors are required to be available for at least 10 office hours per week.

Students begin working on projects in their first year, and the work often culminates in a capstone project often done with real companies, Madler said.

Embry-Riddle also ranked high in the best undergraduate engineering programs category at schools that don’t offer doctorates.

It was tied for No. 15 overall in the category, the highest-rated Arizona school.

“It’s a good, small-, medium-sized campus that’s a good place for students to learn and make great friends that they’re going to have for the rest of their life,” Madler said.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Madison Spence contributed to this report.

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