Ratings

Aenert news. Ratings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an annual publication by the Times Higher Education magazine. The rankings started out as a joint endeavour between the publisher and Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) (2004-2009). In 2010, however, an agreement was signed with Thomson Reuters (2010 – 2013) to release annual rankings of the top universities around the globe.
Finally, since 2014, the magazine has been collaborating with Elsevier to receive the data used in compiling its annual rankings.
Apart from a general ranking, the publication comprises rankings by subject and reputation, such as an engineering table, physical sciences or computer science. There are also rankings concerning universities in Asia, Latin America, and BRICS and emerging economies, which are ranked using separate criteria and weightings.


Aenert Photos. University College London

The engineering subject table has been compiled using the same performance indicators as the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023, but the methodology has been adapted to suit the field of engineering. It lists universities that are leading across the following disciplines: general engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, civil engineering and chemical engineering. The parameters for the engineering ranking are: Teaching: the learning environment; Research environment: volume, income and reputation; Research quality: strength, influence and excellence; International outlook: staff, students and research; Industry: income and patents. This year’s table includes 1,374 universities, up from 1,306 last year.

Generally speaking, it seems that the years of turbulence caused by the Covid-19 pandemic are over and business has returned to normal for much of the global higher education sector. However, as nothing ever is stagnant in the world of higher education, a more diverse picture of universities and countries is featuring in this year’s rankings.

This may be due to the fact that visa issues and political perceptions in recent years had affected how international students valued US and UK institutions. Students from China and India having obtained work visas after studying for an MBA in the US still have difficulties with getting jobs because of citizenship requirements. At the same time, many other countries have established great executive programmes with strong links to industry.

Still, UK and US institutions account for most of the universities in the top 10. This could be due to the facts that legal systems protect patents and copyrights strongly in these countries as well as diverse sources of funding are available which, in turn, attracts expert talent.

Singapore is the only country outside the US and the UK that makes the top 10: the National University of Singapore (9th place). Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan are among the other countries whose institutions are ranked in the top 50.

The best institutions for engineering this year continue to be Harvard University and Stanford University, occupying the first and second positions. Harvard University places a strong focus on every aspect of the engineering sciences. Its many research labs are dedicated to exploring, for example, the possibilities of energy resources and energy systems, energy and environmental impacts, solar geoengineering and geophysics. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) secures third place. MIT also invests a lot of resources into developing innovative energy solutions.


Boston, Massachusetts, USA Skyline. Envato, CW3QMUTE7V

The MIT Energy Initiative, for example, researches the feasibility of, for example, nuclear energy generation in a carbon-reduced world, the constrictions of the electric grid and energy storage, as well as sustainable production of natural gas and coal. The University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and the University of California, Berkely come in 4^th to 6^th place. The last four spots (7-10) are claimed by Caltech, Princeton University, the National University of Singapore and Imperial College London.

Imperial College London moves into the top 10, taking the 10^th spot. The universities of Oxford and Cambridge are the two other UK institutions in this group, which features six US universities and one from Singapore. Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in South Korea is the highest new entrant, ranking in the 201-250 band. China’s best institutions are closer than ever to entering the top 10: Tsinghua University and Peking University have both risen a few places to sit in 12^th and 14^th positions, respectively. Across the full table, the US, Japan and India are the most-represented nations.

By the Editorial Board