The Air Force Academy was ranked the No. 5 best undergraduate engineering program in the country, according to the latest rankings by US News and World Report. The academy’s aerospace/aeronautical/astronautical engineering program was ranked No. 2 in the country for the 15th consecutive year, its electrical/electronic/communications engineering program was ranked No. 4 in the country, and its mechanical engineering program was ranked No. 5 in the 2016 edition of the rankings. The Air Force Academy also was ranked No. 29 for liberal arts colleges nationwide, and No. 3 on the list of top public schools. US News and World Report polled high school counselors across the country on which schools provide the best undergraduate education, and the academy ranked No. 3 on that list for the third straight year. The academy has nearly 4,000 students and admitted less than 17 percent of applicants last year, according to the publication.
A record investment in research and development by the Department of the Air Force will help the United States win the long-term technology race with China, even while shrinking the fleet size before a possible mid-decade Taiwan contingency, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said May 17. “With the Air Force,…