QS rankings put U of T among world's top 20 universities for geography, medicine, computer science, English and more

The University of Toronto continues to soar in international rankings, taking top 20 spots in 13 subject categories in the QS World University Rankings by Subject released April 29.

U of T placed 11th internationally in geography and area studies; both medicine and English language and literature ranked 13th; and computer science and information systems, philosophy and mathematics are each 16th in the world.  Other subject areas with top 20 rankings include: biological sciences, psychology, history, statistics and operational research, education, sociology and development studies.

“U of T’s consistently strong performance in international university rankings is a reflection of the excellence of our faculty in teaching and research, the accomplishments of our students and alumni, and the dedication of our staff,” said U of T President Meric Gertler. “Working together, we are maintaining the University’s standing as a top global talent destination and its contribution to the advancement of knowledge.”

U of T topped all Canadian universities in 24 of the 36 subjects. (Read about the Faculty of Law placing first in Canada.) Last year, the university ranked first in the country in 21 of 33 subject areas covered.

This year, the university landed the top spot in Canada for four out of five subjects in the category of engineering and technology. Similarly, U of T leads its Canadian peers in: three out of six subjects in the life sciences category; five out of seven subjects in the natural sciences category; four out of seven subjects in arts and humanities, and in eight out of 10 subjects in the category of social sciences.

The university also strengthened its standing this year in 17 subjects overall: computer science and information systems; chemical engineering; mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing; biological sciences; medicine; chemistry; physics and astronomy; materials science; Earth and marine sciences; geography; history; linguistics; accounting and finance; economics and econometrics; statistics and operational research; sociology; and politics and international studies.   

Launched in 2004, the QS World University Rankings expanded to include individual subject rankings in 2011. This year QS evaluated 3,551 universities and ranked more than 2,000 institutions in a record 36 subject areas, making it the largest such ranking. The London-based organization analyzed survey results from more than 85,000 academics and nearly 42,000 employers, and looked at 100 million citations worldwide in order to develop the rankings. 

Other recently released rankings have placed U of T first in Canada and fourth in the world overall (National Taiwan University); first in Canada and 20th in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings) and first in Canada and 24th in the world overall (Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s Academic Ranking of World Universities).

Noreen Ahmed-Ullah is a writer with U of T News.