This year’s edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject will be published on 22 March 2016, here on TopUniversities.com. With the addition of six new subjects this year, the rankings will now cover a total of 42 disciplines – highlighting the world’s top-performing universities in each academic area.
Aiming to help prospective students identify the leading universities in their chosen subject, the QS World University Rankings by Subject are compiled annually using data on research citations, combined with the results of major global surveys of academics and employers. Read more about the methodology here.
New subjects covered this year…
Six new subjects will be covered for the first time this year: anthropology, archaeology, mining engineering, nursing, performing arts and social policy. They join last year’s six newcomers, which were art and design, architecture, business and management, dentistry, development studies and veterinary science.
First published in 2011, the QS World University Rankings by Subject aims to help prospective students – especially those interested in studying internationally – identify the top universities in their chosen discipline. The rankings have been continually expanded over the past five years, with new tables added each year, and a growing number of universities ranked for subjects in which sufficient data is available.
High demand for subject-specific rankings
The popularity of the QS World University Rankings by Subject reflects strong global demand for subject-specific rankings. In the recent report How Do Students Use Rankings?, 78% of surveyed students reported finding subject-specific rankings more useful than overall rankings.
The report showed that prospective students value rankings primarily as a quick way to identify universities with the strongest reputations, creating a shortlist of institutions to research in more depth. Universities with a high ranking are typically perceived as leading to stronger employment prospects, with many students also believing higher-ranked institutions are likely to offer better research, teaching and facilities.
All 42 tables included in this year’s QS World University Rankings by Subject will be published here on 22 March 2016. The rankings can also be accessed by downloading the free QS World University Rankings app, available for iPhone and Android.
