by Liliana Casallas
Six Latin American universities were featured in the QS World University Rankings®: Arts and Humanities released on http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings, revealing strength in Latin America’s universities in Modern Languages, Philosophy, Geography, History, English and Linguistics.
- Brazil, with four universities featured, is best-performing country in the region
- Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) ranks in top 100 in five of the six ranked subjects
- Argentina’s Universidad de Buenos Aires in top 100 for Modern languages and English
Latin American universities in top 200
Philosophy
| Rank | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 51-100 | Universidade de São Paulo | Brazil |
| 51-100 | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | Mexico |
| 101-150 | Universidad de Buenos Aires | Argentina |
| 101-150 | Universidade Estadual de Campinas | Brazil |
| 151-200 | Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais | Brazil |
| 151-200 | Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro | Brazil |
Modern Languages
| Rank | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 51-100 | Universidad de Buenos Aires | Argentina |
| 51-100 | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | Mexico |
Geography & Area Studies
| Rank | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 51-100 | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | Mexico |
| 151-200 | Universidade de São Paulo | Brazil |
History
| Rank | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 51-100 | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | Mexico |
Linguistics
| Rank | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 101-150 | Universidade de São Paulo | Brazil |
English language and literature
| Rank | Institution | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 51-100 | Universidad de Buenos Aires | Argentina |
| 51-100 | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) | Mexico |
This series of the subject rankings sees Latin American universities take six of the top 100 positions in the six arts and humanities subjects, the highest number so far in comparison with their performance in engineering and technology (2), natural sciences (3), and life sciences and medicine (0).
“The criteria for these subjects were more heavily weighted towards academic and employer reputation rather than research citations, therefore the top-performing universities were voted as having a strong reputation among both academics and employers.” says Ben Sowter, head of research at QS, “The fact that Latin American universities excel in the area shows that they are competing at the top level with the elite and longer-established institutions around the world in arts and humanities. The more granular view of the rankings by subject again points to areas of excellence that are missed in the world exercise”.
The QS World University Rankings®: Arts and Humanities is the fourth of a five-part series of the QS World University Rankings® at a more granular subject level. Individual subject rankings for Engineering and Technology, Life Sciences and Medicine, and Natural Sciences are available on www.topuniversities.com.
The last of the series will be released later in June; revealing the top ranked universities in Social Sciences subjects. QS and its various rankings such as QS World University Rankings®: Arts and Humanities and QS Asian University Rankings have recently been featured in media around the world including:
- The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jun/03/top-100-world-university-rankings-arts-humanities-english-linguistics-geography Daily
- Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/8552655/Spending-cuts-risk-damaging-universities-global-standing.html The
- Australian: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/australian-national-university-has-the-best-ranking-to-date-for-philosophy-according-to-new-rankings/story-e6frgcjx-1226067603847
- Macleans (Canada): http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2011/06/03/is-your-arts-or-humanities-school-in-the-top-200/ Focus Taiwan: http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201105230011