36 disciplines in the global top 50 in QS Subject Rankings
The University of Sydney has performed strongly in the 2024 QS World University Rankings by Subject, with six disciplines ranked in the global top 20 and 36 in the top 50.
The rankings also put the University first in Australia in ten disciplines and overall 28 subjects improved their global ranking.
The annual QS subject rankings cover 55 disciplines within five broad subject areas: Arts and Humanities; Engineering and Technology; Life Sciences and Medicine; Natural Sciences; and Social Sciences and Management.
The University succeeded in having two disciplines in the top ten globally, adding Anatomy and Physiology, which moved from 13th to sixth in the world, to Sports-related subjects, which remained at fourth. Joining them in the top 20 worldwide are Nursing (equal 14th), Law and Legal Studies (16th), English Language and Literature (equal 19th) and Pharmacy and Pharmacology (20th).
Domestically, the University ranked first in Australia for ten disciplines - Anatomy and Physiology, Classics and Ancient History, Computer Science and Information Systems, Statistics and Operational Research, English Language and Literature, Library and Information Management, History of Art, Performing Arts, Nursing and Veterinary Science.
The QS subject rankings include measures of academic and employer reputation and research excellence, including citations.
“While rankings are only one of many ways of measuring a university’s performance our continuing success in these and other major rankings demonstrate the quality of our teaching and research staff, to the benefit of our students and of society,” said Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott.
“We’ve also delivered on our commitment to research and teaching excellence with the appointment this year of 40 Sydney Horizon Fellowships for early and mid-career researchers and under the Sydney Horizon Educators scheme, the University will advertise 220 new education-focused positions by 2026.”
The most recent research successes from the University include:
- researchers in robotics developing a new approach to designing cameras, which could help protect the images and data collected by smart home devices and internet-of-things technology
- social policy researchers revealing the lack of cost-saving innovations in aged care is due to chronic underinvestment in research and development
- collaboration on research showing that the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs was a 'big bang' for bird evolution
- Social Justice Practitioners-in-Residence finding that overuse of non-disclosure agreements disadvantages and discriminates against women
- musculoskeletal health researchers challenging the common belief that there is a clear connection between the weather and back, knee or hip pain
- a new process to helping shed light on how to better prevent embrittlement, one of the biggest obstacles facing the transition to a global hydrogen economy.
While rankings are only one of many ways of measuring a university’s performance our continuing success in these and other major rankings demonstrate the quality of our teaching and research staff, to the benefit of our students and of society.
“The range and depth of disciplines in which we continue to both excel and to improve our performance is testament to our research excellence and the potential for it to be translated into real-world impact whether via technology, policy, treatment, education, the arts or by becoming the evidence-based foundation for other discoveries,” said University of Sydney Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Emma Johnston.
Adding to the University’s achievement was an improvement in four disciplines, moving them into the top 50 internationally: Computer Science and Information Systems (43rd), Dentistry (48th), Engineering – Electrical and Electronic (equal 49th), Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies (38th).
The 36 disciplines in the top 50 worldwide included four disciplines which only began being ranked this year: Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (43rd), Engineering – Mineral and Mining (equal 25th), History of Art (21-40th) and Marketing (21-50th), noting specific ranks are only applied to the top 25 percent of each subject’s ranking.
The University ranked equal 19th globally in the highly regarded 2024 QS World University Rankings, published in 2023.