UCL’s IOE and Bartlett top the world university rankings

IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, maintained its position as first in the world for Education for the tenth year in a row, the first time this has been achieved for any subject.

It was joined by The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment, ranked first in the world in 2023 for Architecture and Built Environment, and the faculty remained first in the UK for the ninth year in a row.

A total of 25 out of 43 subjects were ranked higher compared to last year for UCL, including Chemistry (up 13 places), Materials Science (up 11 places), Geology (up nine places) and Geophysics (up eight places).

Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement), said: “These rankings reflect the hard work and dedication of many thousands of colleagues throughout UCL and are testimony to their individual and collective commitment to academic excellence. It is particularly pleasing to see the IOE maintain their position as world leader for the tenth year running, now joined by The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment. We are very proud of the world-leading quality of our education, research and impact and this recognition of our growing strengths across a wide range of disciplines.”

Professor Li Wei, Dean and Director of IOE, said: “To be ranked first in the world in any single year is a tremendous achievement; to be ranked first for 10 years in a row is truly outstanding. I am incredibly proud and appreciative that IOE’s excellence has been recognized in this way by our peers and wider stakeholders. This performance reflects the commitment of all IOE colleagues, academics and professional services staff who support their work and our students, as well as the impact of our international network of alumni as they put their learning into practice in their workplaces and communities.”

The 10 subject areas where UCL ranks in the global top 10 are Education (1), Architecture & Built Environment (1), Archaeology (3), Anthropology (4), Pharmacy & Pharmacology (4), Psychology (5), Geography (6), Medicine (6), Anatomy & Physiology (6), and Biological Sciences (8).

Professor Christoph Lindner, Dean of The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment, said: “The Bartlett’s position as #1 in this year’s Architecture and Built Environment subject ranking is a testament to the depth and breadth of expertise in The Bartlett community, and the importance we place on mobilising our creativity and knowledge to build a better future. I want to congratulate our students, researchers, educators and professional staff for this recognition of their inspiring and impactful work.”

To compile the subject rankings, QS used five key metrics (including academic reputation, research performance based on citations impact, and graduate employability), the precise weighting of which varies by subject to reflect differing research practices across disciplines.

A total of 1,597 universities in 161 locations across the world were ranked across 54 academic disciplines.

The QS World University Rankings, which rank universities overall rather than at subject level, will be published later this year. The last edition of these rankings placed UCL at joint eighth in the world.

Links

• QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023
• The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment
• IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society