Multiple Bests in Shanghai Subject Ranking

27 July 2018

Medical technology, clinical medicine and public health first in Germany – biosciences also fare extremely well

The Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2018 rated Heidelberg University as Germany's top institution in a total of three subjects in the medical sciences field: medical technology, clinical medicine and public health. In the international comparison, Heidelberg placed eleventh in medical technology (up from twelfth), by far Ruperto Carola's best-scoring subject, while clinical medicine climbed 26 spots from the previous year into 22nd place. As in 2017, public health placed in the 51-to-75 ranking group worldwide, as did the biological sciences in the life sciences category. In last-mentioned subject ranking group (which included two other German universities), Heidelberg University placed second in Germany. The human biological sciences ranks 35th internationally. 

The subject ranking list, which is part of the Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the Shanghai Ranking, was published on 17 July 2018. It comprises five broad fields of academic study to which the individual subject areas evaluated are assigned. The ranking is largely based on the number of publications, and most subjects also take into account the awards won by an institution. There are a total of five indicators, each of which is weighted differently depending on the discipline. In the Academic Ranking of World Universities published last year, Heidelberg University ranked No. 1 in Germany for the fourth year in a row, maintaining its top position from 2014, 2015 and 2016. Ruperto Carola placed 11th in Europe in the Shanghai Ranking and 42nd internationally.