McNeese State University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science has been named the number one program among all engineering schools in the nation in terms of career return on investment according to research conducted by www.payscale.com.

The site analyzed data such as total cost of the university’s four-year engineering program, average time to complete the program and 20-year salary data and found McNeese’s instate cost to be number one in terms of return on investment and the outof-state cost to be third in the nation.

Daryl Burkel, McNeese president, said the achievement confirms Mc-Neese’s vision to be the “first choice” for not only students but also prospective employers of the engineering college graduates.

Nikos Kiritsis, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science agreed saying, “Our industry-focused, practiceoriented undergraduate engineering program makes our college graduates very valuable to prospective employers.”

The McNeese College of Engineering and Computer Science boasts a true to life industry control room and power plant allowing to get hands-on, real-life experience throughout their course of study.

“Typically, engineering education is very theoretical, so when these students go out in industry, one of the big experiences that they face is the change in magnitude… [But] when you go into industry, you need to know not only theory but also equipment,” explained Kiritsis.

McNeese is the only college in the University of Louisiana system to house such a unit, and Kiritsis said he believes McNeese is likely the only college in the nation to offer such a realistic educational experience.

“We decided to give a more practical education and use systems that industry uses so when they [students] leave us, the learning curve is shorter… The realism that this gives you and how close it is to industry, you’re not going to find at another school.”

McNeese State University, as a whole, has also been named one of the “Best Regional Universities in the South” by the U.S. News and World Report for the eighth consecutive year. “Achieving this national ranking for eight consecutive years is an extraordinary accomplishment and validates the dedication and commitment of our faculty to the university’s mission — to change lives by providing excellence with a personal touch,” said Burkel in a news release.

To see Payscale’s full return on investment rankings for engineering programs visit, www.payscale.com/college-roi/job/engineering.

To see the full “Best Colleges 2019” rankings by the U.S. News and World Report, visit, www.usnews.com/education.