PC Magazine named the University of Illinois the top wired college in the U.S. in a recent issue. Some of the reasons cited include intensive classes in parallel computing and data mining taught in CS and ECE, among others. Illinois improved its ranking from the 2006 edition, when it ranked 6th.
From PC Magazine:
"With millions of higher-education students in the United States sporting laptops and smartphones, schools are in a constant state of catch-up to stay digitally relevant. And not just for students, but also staff, faculty, even parents and alumni. That's why we've once again partnered with staff members of The Princeton Review...
Advanced classes in technology are nothing new, but what schools offer today is getting more and more varied and eclectic. For example, Web design is offered at all the schools in the top 20, but game development, 3D animation, and robotics are finding a place in the curriculums of several. A few schools also offer classes on hacking and PC security.
The unique classes may say as much about the school as the students... Number 1 UIUC goes deep with courses on parallel computing and even data mining."
To read the complete article, visit America's Top Wired Colleges, 2008 Edition.