QS World University Rankings by Subject

The QS World University Rankings by Subject are published in March.

Data Collection

In each of our rankings we use a range of measurements as part of our methodology. These can be split into three broad groups​.

Each ranking is made up of a different group of measurements, with some being used across several rankings and others unique to one project.

Lens

A group of Indicators which are related to the same theme

Indicator

A measurement of one aspect of an institution’s performance. Institutions are scored and ranked within indicators and those indicator scores contribute to its overall rank and score​

Metric

A more specific calculation that forms part of an Indicator​

Below you can find the weightings for each indicator in each broad faculty area ranking. Weightings are reviewed on an annual basis. Click on each indicator below for more detailed information.

• Academic Reputation
• Employer Reputation
• Citations per Paper
• H-Index
• International Research Network

The indicator weights of the faculty-area rankings can be found below:

Not all higher education institutions are eligible for our rankings, and not all eligible institutions are ranked. Below you can find the criteria for institutions.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the World University Rankings by Subject an institution must:

Narrow Subject Rankings

• Offer full-degree programmes at either undergraduate and postgraduate level in the given subject
• Have at least THREE graduated classes in the given subject
• Meet the paper threshold for the relevant subject
• Meet the minimum threshold for reputation (the sum of Academic Reputation and Employer Reputation scores is 5 or higher)

Broad Faculty Rankings

• Offer full-degree programmes at either undergraduate and postgraduate level in the given faculty area
• Offer full degree programmes in at least TWO subjects in the relevant faculty area
• Have at least THREE graduated classes in each subject

Below is a list of the broad faculty areas and relevant narrow subjects covered by the Rankings. Each faculty and subject area has its own ranking.

Arts and Humanities

Engineering and Technology

Life Sciences and Medicine

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences and Management

ASJC codes are used in Scopus to classify and categorize published research by its subject area. This is done using the aims and scope of the title (e.g. journal), and the content that it publishes.

All institutions can submit data for the rankings. This data is important in ensuring our rankings are as accurate as possible.

Where we don’t have data submitted by an institution, we feature them on the strength of proprietary and publicly available or previously supplied data. Our rankings are designed with this in mind.

Submission Platform

You should submit data for your institution through our QS HUB platform. Please contact our Institution Support Team via our helpdesk if you do not have login details, or need further support.

Our rankings are not opt-in/opt-out, so it is in an institution's best interest to ensure that we reflect them accurately by submitting their data.

If you would like your institution to be considered for inclusion in the Rankings and your institution has not received a submission email, please contact: rankings@qs.com.

Data Reporting Period

For the majority of the data we request, the reporting period should cover the academic year previous to our rankings cycle.

This will be approximately January to December for the Southern Hemisphere, and August to July for the Northern Hemisphere.

There are exceptions to this, so please refer to our data dictionary if you are unsure.