purdue offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in over 210 major areas of study. purdue has produced multiple nobel prize winners, ceos of fortune 500 companies, and nfl super bowl mvps. the university has been highly influential in america's history of aviation, and purdue's aviation technology and aeronautical engineering programs remain among the highest rated and most competitive in the world. in the mid-20th century, purdue's aviation program expanded to encompass advanced spaceflight technology giving rise to purdue's nickname, "cradle of astronauts".