Purdue agricultural biological engineering department ranked No. 1

The U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges announced today (Sept. 14) that Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Biological Engineering (ABE) is the top-ranked undergraduate department in its discipline for the 10th year in a row. Purdue’s graduate ABE program was ranked first by U.S. News and World Report in 2019 for the ninth time in 10 years.

Karen Plaut, Purdue’s Glenn W. Sample Dean of Agriculture, praised the department’s accomplishment.

“ABE has an extraordinary faculty who have been led by great leaders over the past decade.

Each year our ABE faculty garners honors for their innovations and accomplishments as they are joined by talented new faculty who further infuse the department with their energy and vision. This honor reflects their collective dedication to research, outreach and their students,” Plaut said.

“The Department of Agricultural Biological Engineering is an example of the exceptional

things that happen when agriculture and engineering come together,” said Mark Lundstrom, acting dean of engineering and the Don and Carol Scifres Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The department has a special status as a department in both the College of Agriculture and in the College of Engineering.

In Spring 2021, ABE will move into a new building, which has involved renovating its previous structure and extensive new construction. Nate Mosier, department head and Indiana Soybean Alliance chair in soybean utilization research, commented on what that new building represents to the future of his department.

“Our department’s faculty and students have outgrown an older and outdated building during years when we have been the top-ranked program in the country. We have demonstrated that our strength is truly in our people—our faculty and staff members and our undergraduate and graduate students. With our wonderful new building, I look forward to seeing what new goals we can accomplish together.”

Featured Stories

Ag Barometer
Farmer sentiment drifts lower as trade uncertainty hangs over agriculture

Farmer sentiment dipped slightly in December, with the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy...

Read More
Photos from the top 2025 stories for Purdue College of AG
What people clicked, watched and read in 2025

Explore the top content from 2025 for the Purdue College of Agriculture.

Read More
Wildlife alumna Lauren Wetterau kneels next to a red squirrel midden in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem; a red squirrel sits on downed tree
Alumna Lauren Wetterau's Research Featured on Animal Planet Show

2023 wildlife alumna Lauren Wetterau is coming to a television screen or streaming service near...

Read More
Lenny Farlee shows teachers how to use a Biltmore stick at the Natural Resources Teachers Academy.
FNR Extension Set to Offer Four Editions of Forest Management for the Private Woodland Owner Course in Spring 2026

Do you want to learn more about trees, forests and how to better manage your woodlands for a...

Read More
FNR canopy image
Into the woods: Discovering forestry at Purdue

For Collin Morris, choosing Purdue Agriculture meant choosing a place that was close to home but...

Read More
Farm land with silos
Q3 agrifood industry sentiment stabilizes near baseline as investment appetite returns

This quarter’s Agrifood Economy Index (AEI) reveals that industry sentiment has stabilized...

Read More