For university students seeking a world-class education, world university rankings by subject are as crucial as the overall quality of the university. We will introduce you to the top schools in each subject and help you choose your favorite university.
The Importance of World University Rankings by Subject
The World University Rankings by subject are crucial in the global higher education landscape. Here’s how important it is:
1. Help students make choices
Higher rankings are associated with better employability. If you attend a highly ranked university, interviewers will perceive you as having better professional skills, which will lead to better career opportunities, industry contacts, and internship programs.
2. Excellent academic and research opportunities
The world university rankings by subject enhance a university’s global reputation and reflect its performance among peers worldwide. So, universities attract top talent and resources to highlight their areas of expertise. Students need to understand the ranking of the subject to gain access to high-level research opportunities in the subject.
Top Ranked Universities in the World by Subject
World University Rankings by Subject 2025 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranking Subject | Arts and Humanities | Business and Economics | Computer Science | Education Studies | Engineering | Law |
#1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Oxford | Stanford University | Harvard University | Stanford University |
#2 | University of Cambridge | University of Oxford | University of Cambridge | University of California, Berkeley | Stanford University | Harvard University |
#3 | University of Oxford | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Oxford | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | New York University |
World University Rankings by Subject 2025 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ranking Subject |
Law | Life Sciences | Medical and Health | Physical Sciences | Psychology | Social Sciences |
#1 | Stanford University | Harvard University | University of Oxford | California Institute of Technology | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
#2 | Harvard University | University of Cambridge | Harvard University | Harvard University | University of Cambridge | University of Oxford |
#3 | New York University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | University of Cambridge | Stanford University | Princeton University | Stanford University |
There are many American universities in the QS world university rankings by subject, we are here to give you a brief introduction:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the world’s leading scientific and technological research university. Its excellent academic reputation, intense scientific research strength, and innovative spirit are well-known worldwide. The school has many of the world’s leading scientific research institutions, such as Lincoln Laboratory and CSAIL, and its scientific research results are widely used in aerospace, computer, and biomedical fields.
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is one of the top institutions of higher learning in the UK and the world. The long history, academic excellence, and deep cultural heritage attract countless students to the UK each year. Cavendish Laboratory and Cambridge University Press are world-renowned scientific research institutions owned by the University of Cambridge. Its scientific research results are widely used in various fields.
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is the oldest and one of the world’s leading higher education institutions. The University of Oxford is a world leader in almost all subject areas, and its Arts and Humanities, Business and Economics, Computer Science, Education Studies, and other disciplines enjoy a high reputation worldwide. The Oxford University Press and Clarendon Laboratory within the University provide outstanding research results in various fields.
Harvard University
Harvard University is one of the oldest higher education institutions in the United States and a top private research university worldwide. The school is a world leader in almost all subject areas, and its Harvard University Press, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard Business School are very well-known scientific research institutions.
Stanford University
Stanford University is the top private research university in the United States, known for its excellent academic reputation, innovative spirit, and strong scientific research capabilities. It is a world leader in several academic fields and has many world-renowned scientific research institutions, such as SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Stanford University leads in the number of Nobel Prize winners, with a total of 36 Nobel Prize winners since its founding.
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley is the top public research university in the United States, known for its excellent academic reputation, intense scientific research capabilities, and beautiful campus environment. LBNL and the National Institute of Mathematical Sciences are world-renowned scientific research institutions. The school has produced 34 Nobel Prize winners, 23 Turing Award winners, and 13 Fields Medal winners worldwide.
New York University
New York University is the top private research university in the United States and one of the largest private nonprofit universities in the country. The school emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and encourages students to break disciplinary boundaries and explore knowledge in different fields. It works closely with New York City’s finance, arts, technology, and other industries to provide students with many internship and career opportunities.
Princeton University
Princeton University is a top private research university in the United States and one of the Ivy League universities. With its excellent academic reputation, rigorous academic atmosphere, and beautiful campus environment, the school has become an academic palace for top students worldwide.
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Best Subject in Non-Ivy League School
Certainly, there are also many NO.1 majors in non-Ivy League schools according to the world university rankings by subject. These schools give students more choices.
Area of Study | Top Schools |
---|---|
Arts and Humanities | Stanford University |
UC Berkeley | |
MIT | |
NYU | |
UCLA | |
University of Chicago | |
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor | |
University of Texas at Austin | |
Carnegie Mellon | |
Duke | |
Engineering and Technology | MIT |
Stanford University | |
UC Berkeley | |
Caltech | |
Georgia Tech | |
Carnegie Mellon | |
UCLA | |
University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign | |
University of Texas at Austin | |
Purdue | |
Life Sciences and Medicine | Johns Hopkins |
Stanford University | |
MIT | |
UC San Francisco | |
UCLAUniversity of Washington | |
UC San Diego | |
UC Berkeley | |
Duke | |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | |
Social Sciences and Management | Stanford University |
MIT | |
UC Berkeley | |
University of Chicago | |
NYU | |
UCLA | |
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | |
Northwestern | |
Duke | |
University of Texas at Austin | |
Natural Sciences | MIT |
Caltech | |
UC Berkeley | |
UCLA | |
University of Chicago | |
University of Texas at Austin | |
University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign | |
University of Washington | |
UC San Diego | |
Stanford University |
Not only that, but many majors are also very prominent; you can get inspiration from the introduction.
Philosophy-New York University
NYU has a robust faculty of philosophy. Derek Parfit, Thomas Nagel, and David Velleman are esteemed contemporary philosophers who currently hold positions as faculty members at this institution. Students can discuss problems with renowned teachers. Its philosophy curriculum is comprehensive. In addition to pure philosophy education, NYU also provides students with many interdisciplinary courses, such as philosophy of mathematics, philosophy of law, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of science, which take into account future employment problems.
Sports related disciplines-University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is the “Ceiling of public education in the United States.” The core campus alone covers more than 3,000 acres and more than 1700 standard football fields!
It is one of the most famous sports schools in the United States. It is also the only school to have won the National Championship in all four major NCAA baseball, basketball, ice hockey, and football events prior to 2014.
As a result, UMich Athletic College’s applied sports science and sports management programs are among the best in the nation. Sports Management is the most popular among students. Its core courses involve knowledge of sports economics, marketing, sports analysis, accounting, finance, and public policy. The major lays a solid foundation for graduates’ future development in the global sports industry.
Most UMich sports-related graduates work in managing well-known professional leagues such as the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, the New York Times, Nike and other top companies in the industry. Their salaries are very impressive.
Library and Information Management-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
As one of the eight oldest schools in the “Public Ivy League,” the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has strong academics. It has a strong voice in liberal arts, science, business, and medicine. Its library and information management speciality is the NO.1 in the United States.
Graduates can find jobs at top companies such as Google, Credit, LinkedIn, Twitter, SAS, Red Hat, and government agencies.
UNC has a dedicated School of Information and Libraries (SILS) that integrates and creates digital and information resources and trains. It cultivates managers who will shape the core information resources of the world’s knowledge and culture.
Petroleum Engineering-University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin is in the “Silicon Mountain” of Austin City. Many famous technology companies surround it. Its internship employment resources are vibrant. Its petroleum engineering program has ranked No. 1 in the US for many years. The university uses the most advanced computer technology and methods to help students learn practical skills such as assessing potential oil, gas reserves and monitoring drilling activities. In addition to regular courses, petroleum engineering students have various opportunities to practice their skills on field trips.
According to Pay Scale, petroleum engineers are among the country’s top three earners. They earn an average of $107,000 annually and up to $191,000 annually.
Austin, Texas, Dell, IBM, Apple, Texas Instruments, and other well-known enterprises have a stable talent transfer relationship. Graduates almost do not worry about employment, and investment cost performance is very high.
Mineral and Mining Engineering-Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a global leader in mineral and mining engineering, holding the prestigious rank of No. 1 in the world. The Mining Engineering program aims to train outstanding engineers who can combine scientific theory, engineering principles, and the latest technology. It includes natural and human values, chemistry, calculus, design, physics, and earth and environmental systems courses.
The school has established cooperative relations with 585 enterprises and organizations. When they graduate, 73% of undergraduates have accumulated rich internship experience. In the campus enterprise day activities, they can find satisfactory jobs from more than 720 enterprises.
Hotel and Leisure Management-University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is the Top school in Hotel and Leisure management.
The school’s philosophy reflects the city’s characteristics, including establishing professional gambling management, entertainment engineering, golf management, and hotel design.
In 2018, UNLV spent $60 million to build Hospitality Hall. The facility will provide students with immersive and hands-on teaching. It includes interactive classrooms, a coffee shop, a golf management centre, an executive kitchen, and more.
The UNLV School of Hotel Management has strong links with the industry. The university organizes more than 600 student internships annually, and over 100 companies recruit here. The average annual starting salary of undergraduate graduates ranges from $45,000 to $68,000.
Conclusion
When choosing a major, various factors must be considered. Through the statistics and analysis of the world university rankings by subject, uhomes.com hopes to provide valuable study-abroad experiences for international students. I hope all of you can apply to an excellent university that satisfies you.
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FAQ
What are the QS World University rankings based on?
The QS World University rankings are based on comprehensive evaluations of academic reputation, faculty expertise, employer reputation, citations per faculty, international diversity, and student-to-faculty ratio. These criteria provide a holistic view of universities worldwide, guiding students and professionals in making informed decisions about their educational journeys and career paths.
What are the top 3 most important subjects?
In the dynamic landscape of higher education, the World University Rankings 2024 highlight the top subjects that shape our future. At the forefront are Engineering, Medicine, and Computer Science. These disciplines redefine boundaries and cultivate the pioneers of tomorrow’s advancements and breakthroughs.
Which subject is most popular in USA?
The most popular subject in the USA reflects a diverse educational landscape shaped by students’ interests and societal needs. Currently, subjects like business administration, computer science, and healthcare-related fields garner significant attention. These subjects play a crucial role in meeting the demands of both the workforce and society at large.