New Ranking of the World’s Top Archaeology Schools

This article is based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2016. Click here to view the 2017 results. 

This year’s extended edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject features a brand new ranking of the world’s top archaeology schools. The archaeology ranking is one of six tables published for the first time this year, with a total of 42 subjects now covered by the rankings.

The top of the archaeology ranking is dominated by UK institutions; the University of Cambridge takes the top spot, followed by the University of Oxford and UCL (University College London). The top five is completed by the US’s Harvard University and another UK entry, Durham University.

While the top 10 features institutions in the UK, US, Australia and the Netherlands, the top 20 also includes archaeology schools in Germany, France, Italy and New Zealand. A total of 25 countries claim at least one representative in the top 100.

Top archaeology schools in the US & Canada

The US is the best-represented country in the archaeology ranking, with 21 entries. Outside of the top 10 (above), strong US performances come from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in joint 13^th position, Yale University (joint 17^th), and the University of Chicago (19^th), with eight more US entries in the top 50. Fellow North American nation Canada has five representatives in the ranking, led by the University of Toronto (joint 21^st), the University of British Columbia (28^th) and the University of Alberta (42^nd).

Top archaeology schools in Europe

European countries collectively account for 60 of the top-100 positions. This includes 18 universities in the UK, 10 in Germany, six in France, four each in the Netherlands and Spain, and three in Sweden. European entries just outside the top 10 (see above) include Germany’s Freie Universität Berlin (11^th), France’s Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (12^th), the UK’s University of Sheffield (joint 13^th) and Italy’s Sapienza - Università di Roma (15^th). Other European nations home to at least one of the world’s top archaeology departments include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Russia and Switzerland.

Top archaeology schools in Australia & New Zealand

Australia claims six representatives in the ranking, with the strongest positions taken by Australian National University (8^th), the University of Sydney (25^th) and the University of Melbourne (41^st). The remaining three Australian entries are La Trobe University, the University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia, all within the top 100. Neighbouring New Zealand makes two appearances, with a particular strong showing from University of Auckland (20^th), while the University of Otago also makes the top 100.

Top archaeology schools elsewhere in the world

While the regions listed above account for the majority of the spots in this inaugural edition of the ranking, there are several stand-out performances from leading archaeology departments elsewhere in the world. South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand appears in 26^th place; Japan’s University of Tokyo is joint 29^th; China’s Peking University comes 32^nd; and Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) is joint 50^th. Israel’s Tel Aviv University and South Africa’s University of Cape Town are also featured in the top 100.