Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University at a Glance
- U.S. influence rank
- #48
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
Pennsylvania State University Featured Rankings
- #1 Pennsylvania's Best Online Master's Degrees
- #1 Pennsylvania's Best Online Colleges 2026
- #1 Best Online Bachelor's in Cybersecurity in Pennsylvania
- #1 20 Fastest Online Bachelor's of Nursing Degree Programs
- #1 Best Online Associate Degree Programs in Pennsylvania
- #2 Easiest Online Degrees from Accredited Schools
- #3 Most Affordable Online Public Health Doctorate Programs
- #3 20 Most Affordable Online Bachelor's of Cybersecurity
- #4 The Most Influential Colleges in Football Today
- #4 Online Master’s in Green Technologies
- #5 Best Online Colleges for Veterans
- #5 Online Bachelor's in Strategic Communications
- #6 Best Online MBAs Pennsylvania
- #7 The 50 Best No GRE Online PhD Degree Programs
- #7 Most Affordable Online Computer Science PhD Programs
- #8 Accelerated Online Doctorate of Computer Science
- #11 Online MBA Sustainability
- #14 Most Influential Colleges in Lacrosse Today
- #21 The Most Influential Colleges in Soccer Today
- #21 Best Public Grad Schools
- #21 Most Influential Colleges in Sports Today
- #44 Best Grad Schools 2026
- #95 Best Universities World 2026
About Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) was founded in 1855 as the Farmers’ High School of Pennsylvania.
In 1862, the school’s name was changed to the Agricultural College of Pennsylvania. In 1874 it was changed once again, this time to Pennsylvania State College, at which time a classical liberal arts curriculum was married to the agricultural training program.
In 1953, under the presidency of Milton S. Eisenhower—the brother of former US Army Supreme Commander and then–US President, Dwight D. Eisenhower—the college was upgraded to Pennsylvania State University.
With 23 campuses statewide in addition to the flagship University Park campus, Penn State is the first-tier public university system in Pennsylvania (the University of Pennsylvania being a private institution). With a total student population of more than 96,000, it is one of the largest universities in the US.
Prominent Penn State connected individuals include the following:
- Poet, Theodore Roethke
- Novelists, John Barth, Joseph Heller, Alan Furst & Richard Russo
- Screenwriter, Steven E. de Souza
- Computer scientists, Jef Raskin & John M. Carroll
- Physicists, David Bohm, Roger Penrose & Lee Smolin
- Nobel laureate in chemistry, Paul Berg
- Climate scientist, Michael E. Mann
- Plant geneticist, Nina Fedoroff
- Population geneticist, Masatoshi Nei
- Anthropologist, Nina Jablonski
- Radical social critic and Catholic priest, Ivan Illich
- Online education pioneer, Michael G. Moore
- Former US Senators Richard Schweiker, Rick Santorum & Kelly Ayotte
- Prime Minister of Bhutan, Jigme Thinley
According to Wikipedia, The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State and sometimes by the acronymn PSU, is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, In 1863, Penn State was named the state's first land-grant university. Its primary campus, known as Penn State University Park, is located in State College and College Township in Pennsylvania.
What Is Pennsylvania State University Known For?
Pennsylvania State University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Earth Sciences
- Engineering
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Chemistry
- Philosophy
- Computer Science
- Education
- Biology
- Criminal Justice
- Anthropology
- Psychology
- Business
- History
- Sociology
- Medical
- Social Work
- Communications
- Economics
- Nursing
- Political Science
- Literature
- Law
- Religious Studies
Pennsylvania State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much Pennsylvania State University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
Pennsylvania State University ranks #14 in the U.S. and #46 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #32 in the U.S. and #102 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #34 in the U.S. and #110 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #35 in the U.S. and #120 worldwide for influence in Physics.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #37 in the U.S. and #147 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #39 in the U.S. and #124 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #41 in the U.S. and #102 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #41 in the U.S. and #134 worldwide for influence in Education.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #45 in the U.S. and #129 worldwide for influence in Biology.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #48 in the U.S. and #61 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #50 in the U.S. and #135 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #53 in the U.S. and #90 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #55 in the U.S. and #134 worldwide for influence in Business.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #59 in the U.S. and #156 worldwide for influence in History.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #62 in the U.S. and #177 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #64 in the U.S. and #184 worldwide for influence in Medical.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #65 in the U.S. and #113 worldwide for influence in Social Work.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #66 in the U.S. and #217 worldwide for influence in Communications.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #67 in the U.S. and #254 worldwide for influence in Economics.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #69 in the U.S. and #143 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #75 in the U.S. and #258 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #79 in the U.S. and #208 worldwide for influence in Literature.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #107 in the U.S. and #298 worldwide for influence in Law.
Pennsylvania State University ranks #109 in the U.S. and #473 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.
Who Are Pennsylvania State University's Most Influential Alumni?
Pennsylvania State University's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Earth Sciences, Criminal Justice, and Computer Science. Here are some of Pennsylvania State University's most famous alumni:
- Paul Berg
- An American biochemist, Professor emeritus at Stanford University & Nobel laureate in Chemistry .
- Steven Levy
- An American journalist.
- Graham Harman
- An American philosopher.
- Douglas Comer
- An American computer scientist.
- Todd May
- An American political philosopher.
- Benjamin Bloom
- An American psychologist.
- Harry J. Anslinger
- A 1st Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics .
- Iris Marion Young
- An American philosopher .
- T. Colin Campbell
- An American biochemist.
- John Mashey
- An American computer scientist.
- Carol Ryff
- An American psychologist .
- Thomas R. Dye
- An American political scientist.
Who Are Pennsylvania State University's Most Influential Faculty?
Pennsylvania State University's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Earth Sciences, Criminal Justice, and Computer Science. Here are some of Pennsylvania State University's most famous faculty:
- Réka Albert
- A Hungarian scientist.
- Mary Jane Irwin
- An American computer scientist.
- Martin Bojowald
- A German physicist.
- Arthur M. Lesk
- A Molecular biologist.
- Priscilla Cohn
- An American philosopher.
- Rodolphe Barrangou
- A Researcher.
- Beth Shapiro
- An American biologist.
- James Z. Wang
- An American computer scientist.
- Aylin Yener
- A Researcher.
- Pius Adesanmi
- A Nigerian-Canadian professor .
- Graeme Sullivan
- An American artist.
- Michael Kulikowski
- An American historian.
