Four fields of study at TU Delft in global top 10 of QS Subject Rankings

News - 26 February 2019 - Communication

In the 2019 issue of the World University Rankings by Subjects, four of TU Delft’s fields of study rank in the global top 10, namely Architecture/Built Environment (3), Civil & Structural Engineering (4), Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering (4) and Chemical Engineering (10). This is up from two last year. In the important field of Engineering and Technology our university climbed from 22 to 17. Moreover, TU Delft is the highest-scoring Dutch university in twelve fields of study.

Inspiring
Tim van Hagen, the Rector Magnificus and President of the Executive Board, is delighted with the results. “This is a reward for the efforts of all the people who work so hard to maintain the quality of the teaching and research done at our university. In recent years, competition has become tighter in many rankings, and new parties are competing for top positions. These lists inspire to us to keep striving for achievement and investing in quality.” 

Risers and fallers
Architecture/Built Environment (3) and Civil & Structural Engineering (4) have retained their top positions worldwide, and great strides are being made in four fields of study in which TU Delft already had good scores: Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering (from 13 to 4), Chemical Engineering (from 18 to 10), Materials Science (from 24 to 15) and Electrical & Electronic Engineering (from 32 to 24). Fields that have fallen in the rankings include Mineral & Mining Engineering (from 13 to 18), Environmental Studies (from 14 to 16), Earth & Marine Sciences (from 40 to 44) and Natural Science (from 71 to 73). 

QS Subject Rankings
In addition to the annual World University Ranking, QS issues separate Subject Rankings. This year, 1,222 universities were ranked in 48 subjects, spread across five faculty areas. TU Delft was ranked 21 times in all five faculty areas and in 16 subjects or fields of study. The rankings are compiled based on the following indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per academic article and the H index.

Faculty AreaSubjectDomestic
rank 2019
Rank 2019DifferenceRank 2018
Engineering & TechnologyEngineering & Technology117+522
Chemical Engineering110+818
Civil & Structural Engineering1404
Computer Science151-10051-100
Electrical & Electronic Engineering124+832
Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering14+913
Mineral & Mining Engineering118-513
Natural SciencesNatural Science173-271
Chemistry14951-100
Earth & Marine Science244-440
Environmental Studies216-214
Materials Science115924
Mathematics251-10051-100
Physics149049
Life Sciences & MedicineLife Sciences & Medicine10365-17348
Arts & HumanitiesArts & Humanities4125+5130
Architecture / Built EnvironmentArchitecture/Built Environment1303
Social Sciences & ManagementSocial Sciences & Management9205-11194
Accounting & Finance7251-300-
Education7101-15051-100
Sport451-10051-100

General ranking
The general QS ranking was published back in June. In this ranking, TU Delft rose from 54 to 52. This position puts TU Delft in the top 5% of best-performing universities in the QS Rankings.

Rankings
Alongside the Shanghai and Times Higher Education rankings, the QS Ranking is one of the three leading international university rankings. Each of these rankings is compiled using a slightly different methodology, each with its own advantages and limitations. The rankings are primarily important to universities with regard to attracting international talent, as they are regularly consulted by students and researchers from all over the world.

More information
See here for more information about the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2018.