World-beating results in QS subject rankings

Sport, which encompasses physical therapy, sports therapy and rehabilitation was ranked fourth in the world and veterinary science placed ninth.

Subjects ranked in the top 50 included education (12^th), law (12^th), anatomy and physiology (13^th), nursing (15^th), architecture and the built environment (15^th), geography (17^th) and medicine (18^th).

Domestically the University was ranked number one in Australia for architecture and the built environment, veterinary sciences and education.

The University of Sydney’s Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence said, “We are a world leading university producing research that matters and providing outstanding teaching. It is pleasing to see this is reflected in the latest QS subject rankings where we have performed well across a broad range of disciplines.

“We aim to be the best education and research institution in Australia and among the best in the world as we continue to work on solutions to the major research challenges of our time.”

He pointed to leading research which has the potential to change our hospital and healthcare systems, including:

• a needle-free device that could eliminate needles and end the need for cold chain storage of vaccines
• international research led by the University of Sydney into the global epidemic of inappropriate tests and treatment for back pain
• a tumour tracking system that could be a global game changer for cancer treatment
• a novel solution to tackle bacterial biofilms and therefore prevent infections.

Domestically, the University of Sydney led the first national report on the impact of climate change on our wellbeing, finding policy inaction on climate change may be having an adverse impact on our health.  

“This year’s QS performance also included strong performance in our reputation with employers, with our graduates named as Australia’s most employable for the fourth consecutive year running in the QS graduate employability rankings,” Dr Spence said.

The QS Subject Rankings score universities around the world on their reputation with employers and academics. It also measures their H-index as an institution (the H-index is a metric that attempts to measure both the productivity and citation impact of a publication) and citations per research paper.