This year’s QS World University Rankings: by Subject evaluates over 1,500 institutions across 54 different subjects, grouped into five faculty (broad subject) areas. Now in its 13th iteration, the ranking evaluates institutions’ academic performance in certain fields, to give students and institution’s insight into a programme’s strengths, as well as what might need to be prioritised to achieve a better study experience.
Notable features of the QS World University Rankings: by Subject 2023 include:
- Six of the 10 most improved programmes are hosted by institutions in the Arab Region: Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Qatar and Jordan.
- Three new subjects have been evaluated: Data Science, Art History and Marketing.
- US institutions lead in an impressive 32 subjects. Among the top-performing institutions, Harvard University ranks first across 14 subjects – two more than last year’s results.
- The University of Oxford dominated four of the top 15 subject tables including ‘Anatomy and Physiology’, ‘Anthropology’ and ‘English language and Literature’ – while the University of Cambridge dominated two: ‘Archaeology’ and ‘Modern Languages’.
- The H-index (a metric that measures both the science productivity and impact of published work from an institution) ranks Australia fourth among the most impactful research locations worldwide.
Ben Sowter, QS Senior Vice President, said: “This subject ranking is the largest ever and provides an ever-deeper understanding of how rankings success is achieved. Sustained targeted investment and international collaboration are consistently pillars on which progress can be made. Meanwhile, improving relationships with industry correlates with better employment, research, and innovation outcomes.”
Check out the top 10 institutions globally with the leading academic programmes below:
Arts and Humanities
1. Harvard University
2. University of Cambridge
3. University of Oxford
4. Stanford University
5. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
6. Yale University
7= Columbia University
7= New York University (NYU)
9. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
10. The University of Edinburgh
Engineering and Technology
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
2. Stanford University
3. University of Cambridge
4. University of Oxford
5. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
6. Imperial College London
7. ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
8. Harvard University
9. Tsinghua University
10. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
Life Sciences and Medicine
1. Harvard University
2. University of Oxford
3. Johns Hopkins University
4= Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
4= Stanford University
5. University of Cambridge
6. Imperial College London
7. University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
8. UCL
10= Karolinska Institute
10= University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
Natural Sciences
1.Harvard University
2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
3. University of Cambridge
4. Stanford University
5. University of Oxford
6. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
7. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
8. ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
9. Imperial College London
10. Princeton University
Social Sciences and Management
1. Harvard University
2. University of Oxford
3. Stanford University
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
5. The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
6. University of Cambridge
7. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
8. Yale University
9. University of Chicago
10. Columbia University
To learn more about this year’s edition of the QS World University Rankings: by Subject 2023, download the March edition of QS Insights Magazine: Swimming with Sharks.
This edition features ‘The Rankings Supplement’, in which Drew MacFarlane, QS Rankings Manager, explores interesting trends in the QS Subject Rankings, showcases specialised institutions and highlights emerging fields such as Data Science, Marketing, and Dentistry.
