Quacquarelli Symonds
26 subjects ranked: first QS World University Rankings® by Subject
What?
The QS World University Rankings® by Subject evaluates universities at a more granular level. Based on natural groupings, response levels and expert advice, 26 subject disciplines have been published on TopUniversities in 2011.
The subjects included this year were:
- Biological Sciences
- Medicine
- Psychology
- Chemical Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Science
- Earth and Marine Sciences
- Chemistry
- Environmental Sciences
- Mathematics
- Materials Sciences
- Physics and Astronomy
- English Language and Literature
- Georgraphy and Area Studies
- History
- Linguistics
- Modern Languages
- Philosophy
- Sociology
- Statistics and Operational Research
- Politics and International Studies
- Law
- Economics and Econometrics
- Accounting and Finance
Why?
Although the QS World University Rankings® have become the world's favourite reference for comparing international higher education institutions at an overall level, there is a clear demand for ways to compare the effectiveness of institutions in narrower subject disciplines as many prospective international students know first what they want to study before asking the question of where they want to study.
How?
The QS World University Rankings® by Subject looks at three indicators. Academic Reputation, Employer Reputation and Citations per Paper. Weightings are not applied evenly between indicators for different disciplines and are based on publication patterns and level of employer interest in the given subject area — all subjects have attracted solid academic and employer response levels.