Auburn University is a public land-, sea-, and space-grant university with strong academic and research programs in engineering, agriculture, natural resources, and the life and physical sciences, as well as additional doctoral and professional programs in architecture, business, education, forestry and wildlife sciences, human sciences, the liberal arts, nursing, pharmacy, mathematics, and veterinary medicine. Auburn University, ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top 50 public universities nationwide for 20 consecutive years, is dedicated to providing opportunities for all students to succeed and to engage in socially fulfilling and educationally purposeful experiences inside and outside the classroom. Beyond the campus, AU provides principal academic support for Alabama’s agricultural, construction and manufacturing industries and is the primary source of instruction and research for Alabama’s emerging aerospace, automotive, microelectronics and wireless technology industries. In 2014, Auburn and its graduates had an economic impact of $5.1 billion on the state of Alabama, including $1.9 billion in direct University contributions to the economy– a 7-to-1 return on the state's appropriation to Auburn – and a $3.2 billion impact in alumni earning power.