Humanities Earn Top Scores Internationally

22 March 2016

QS subject rankings published – interdisciplinary dialogue based on disciplinary strengths

Four humanities subjects at Heidelberg University are among the leading disciplines represented in the recently published QS World University Rankings by Subject. Archaeology ranks 23rd, modern languages 27th, philosophy 33rd and history 46th. "The principle of a comprehensive university that promotes interdisciplinary dialogue based on disciplinary strengths is a central component of our institutional strategy. These current subject rankings are proof that this spirit is alive and well in all disciplines at our university", states Prof. Dr. Bernhard Eitel, President and Vice-Chancellor of Ruperto Carola.

Heidelberg University is also well positioned in the social sciences, medicine, and the life sciences. Heidelberg took the top position in law in Germany and placed 39th internationally. Medicine likewise ranked first in Germany and was rated 40th in the worldwide comparison. The biological sciences took second place in Germany and 42nd internationally. Among the natural sciences, physics and astronomy earned top rankings internationally at 28th. Overall Heidelberg University is among the 100 best universities in the world in 15 subjects, including chemistry, English language/literature, geography, mathematics, pharmacy/pharmacology, political science/international studies, and sociology.

The results of the subject rankings published on 22 March 2016 are based on the data from the QS World University Ranking introduced in the fall of last year. The indicators for the individual subject rankings were calculated from a subset of the data from the main ranking, namely data from surveys of academics and employers as well as citation analyses.