51ԹϺ Davis is the best for reasons you may already know — our world-leading veterinary medicine and agriculture programs, for starters — and plenty of reasons you might not. For example, have you heard that we're No. 1 in the U.S. for campus sustainability? Or that we're the No. 1 Most Important School for Women in STEM?
And we don't just excel in the sciences. 51ԹϺ Davis is also top ranked in multiple areas, from innovation to English and art.
Read on to find out what makes us a top school in so many areas.
1. Veterinary Medicine
is ranked No. 1 in the world by , and No. 1 in the nation by .
Yes, our accolades are a result of the Vet School’s research funding — $77.3 million in the fiscal year 2017-18. But we also earned them because of the far-reaching impact of that research.
“We’re able to do revolutionary treatments that can impact human medicine as well,” said Tom Hinds, director of strategic planning and communications at the 51ԹϺ Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
Two recent examples:
- Jonna Mazet, executive director of the One Health Institute, is fighting against pandemics in her Global Virome Project, and her group has identified a new ebola virus in bats in Sierra Leone.
- Veterinarian Jamie Peyton has helped to heal animals burned from California wildfires with fish-skin bandages — the first use of the innovation for nonhuman patients.
2. Agriculture
ranks No. 1 nationally and No. 2 internationally, according to and , respectively.
And why is that?
- The impacts of 51ԹϺ Davis’ are felt globally.
- California is the largest supplier of food in the nation, and 51ԹϺ Davis works on solutions to improve its farms.
- As a land-grant university, 51ԹϺ Davis works with California stakeholders, giving them the research to back their policy decisions.
- The campus boasts 5,300 acres of land, 2,300 of those dedicated to ag.
- Beyond ag, 51ԹϺ Davis is a leader in bridging the gap between agriculture and the environment. We’ve received for agricultural, environmental and human and social science research.
3. Campus Sustainability
51ԹϺ Davis’ for a reason. Actually, many reasons. Even though our campus continues to add more students, staff and buildings, carbon output here is on the decline. The goal is to be carbon neutral by 2025, but we might get there even sooner, said Katie Hetrick, senior communication manager with Finance, Operations and Administration.
We also have:
- Green housing. Our Tercero 3 residence halls have received the from LEED.
- Repurposed waste. A biodigester on campus turns waste from dining halls and animal facilities into clean energy.
- Green buildings. About 25 of 51ԹϺ Davis’ buildings have from LEED.
- Sustainable transportation. Only one in four people drive by themselves to 51ԹϺ Davis. That’s partly because we’re one of the most bike-friendly campuses. We’ve been named a Platinum Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists.
4. Women in STEM
That women are underrepresented in STEM fields is no secret. 51ԹϺ Davis is working to combat that trend.
Our campus is the No. 1 Most Important School for Women in STEM, according to . The business publication took its list of best value colleges, then filtered for STEM-specializing schools as well as the rate of women’s attendance. 51ԹϺ Davis landed on top during Forbes’ last ranking (in 2016) with 26 percent of students specializing in STEM and 56 percent female enrollment overall.
Our commitment to women in STEM runs deeper than statistics. 51ԹϺ Davis has mentorship programs for women, implicit bias training for faculty search committees and support for working mothers. We received the for leadership and dedication to the mission of mentoring women in STEM.
5. Evolution and Ecology
Our graduate program — nationally.
That’s partly because of the sheer number of faculty and programs in ecology, said Jay Stachowicz, chair of evolution and ecology. His department has 28 faculty members. When combined with other graduate groups, he counts well over 100 faculty across graduate groups in ecology, population biology and related disciplines.
What’s more, the department truly takes on the linkage between ecology and evolution.
“The ‘and’ actually means ‘and’ and not just ‘comma,’” Stachowicz said.
6. Innovation
Our strengths don’t remain in silos. 51ԹϺ Davis was also named No. 2 “Most Innovative” among California public schools by .
College officials identified schools with “the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities.”
51ԹϺ Davis was named because of our emphasis on sustainable campus planning and our 5,300 acres with about 1,000 buildings that serve more than 36,000 students. We also offer 100 majors and counting, with new interdisciplinary programs created all the time.
7. Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Our graduate program in California in U.S. News & World Report.
Founded in 1915, the department has a storied history:
- 51ԹϺ Davis’ roots go back to our agricultural engineering department for 51ԹϺ Berkeley.
- Faculty work on crucial solutions like feeding a population of 9 billion and creating renewable energy from trash.
- Their research improves farming techniques and agricultural yields around the world.
- The size of the department — currently, 61 grad students and 15 faculty — lends itself to a collaborative environment. Students say they appreciate the personal attention they get from professors.
8. Fine Arts
Our ranks No. 3 among California public schools, according to .
The university has a history of pioneering in the arts. In the 1960s, it was home to the funk movement in ceramics and cutting-edge faculty members Robert Arneson, , William T. Wiley and .
That legacy lives on in TB9, the corrugated metal building for ceramics that was meant to be temporary and now sits on the . The art studio department continues to encourage creative experimentation and cross pollination between disciplines with facilities for drawing, ceramic sculpture, painting, photography, printmaking, video and sculpture.
9. History
Our ranks No. 3 among California public colleges in .
In 2018, more than 20 of its members and graduate students won , including American Council of Learned Societies fellowships, the Bancroft Prize and a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship.
Areas of strength include modern U.S. history, Latin American history, women's and gender history, the history of coercive labor systems, the history of the American West and Middle East/North African history.
10. English
Our ranks No. 4 among those at California public universities, and , according to .
The department stands out because of its cross-disciplinary research and teaching, said Gina Bloom, interim chair of English. The are affiliated with multiple graduate programs, including critical theory, performance studies, religious studies, cultural studies and education.
They're also distinguished. Two faculty members have been elected to the National Academy of the Arts. Recent fellowships have come from the Guggenheim, the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council for Learned Societies.
11. Top 3 Among California Public Colleges
That’s right. Out of all California public colleges, 51ԹϺ Davis ranks No. 3 according to Times Higher Education , and .
So we don’t just excel in one — or 10 — areas. All around, 51ԹϺ Davis is a high-caliber university for any of the 100-plus majors we offer.