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THE World University Rankings 2018 by subject: engineering and technology
THE World University Rankings 2018 by subject: computer science
Asia is home to more world-class universities in engineering and technology than North America, according to Times Higher Education’s new ranking for the subject.
Of the 500 universities included in THE’s 2018 engineering and technology subject table, 132 are in Asia while 127 are in the US and Canada.
China’s Peking University is the continent’s top institution; it joins the top 10 of the ranking, after climbing five places to seventh.
China has made huge investments in science and technology in recent years. But the extent of China’s – and Asia’s – higher education strength in this area is more visible this year thanks to the expansion of the table to include 500 institutions, up from 100 last year.
China has 35 institutions in the ranking – more than any other nation in Asia – up from seven last year. Six of those universities that were also in last year’s table have improved.
South Korea is another strong performer in the continent, with 22 representatives, led by Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) at 27th (up from 30th).
Meanwhile, Singapore’s two leading universities feature high up on the table; the National University of Singapore is at eighth, while Nanyang Technological University is at 16th.
THE World University Rankings 2018 by subject: engineering and technology top 10
| 2018 rank | 2017 rank | University | Country | WUR 2018 rank |
| 1 | 2 | Stanford University | United States | =3 |
| 2 | 1 | California Institute of Technology | United States | =3 |
| 3 | 3 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States | 5 |
| 5 | 5 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | 2 |
| 6 | 6 | Princeton University | United States | 7 |
| 7 | 12 | Peking University | China | =27 |
| 8 | =7 | National University of Singapore | Singapore | =22 |
| 9 | 9 | ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich | Switzerland | =10 |
| 10 | =7 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom | 8 |
Browse the full list of universities in this year’s engineering and technology rankings
Tan Eng Chye, NUS’ deputy president (academic affairs) and provost, said that the university has recently “deepened” its industry and public sector collaborations in “strategic areas” such as offshore and marine engineering, sustainable energy and cybersecurity.
On the strong performance of Asian universities in the table more widely, he added: “There is much recognition among governments in Asia about the transformative role of universities in growing economies, as well as the importance of science, engineering and technology in societal advancement.
“This positioning and support enables universities such as NUS, and others in Asia, to compete globally for top talent in priority areas. Collectively, Asian universities are a gateway to 60 per cent of the world’s population – the potential for positive impact is tremendous.”
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Some Asian institutions also perform well in THE’s 2018 computer science ranking.
NUS is top in the continent at 13th while Peking is now 20th (up from 21st) and Tsinghua is 25th (up from 27th).
But both of the new rankings are led by universities in the US. Stanford tops both tables, while the California Institute of Technology is second in engineering and technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is number two for computer science. The University of Oxford takes third place in both.
The subject rankings for engineering and technology and computer science are based on the same range of 13 performance indicators used in the overall THE World University Rankings 2018, but the methodologies have been recalibrated to suit the individual fields.
THE World University Rankings 2018 by subject: computer science top 10
| 2018 rank | 2017 rank | University | Country | WUR 2018 rank |
| 1 | NR | Stanford University | United States | =3 |
| 2 | 4 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States | 5 |
| 3 | 3 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom | 1 |
| 4 | 1 | ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich | Switzerland | =10 |
| 5 | NR | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | 2 |
| =6 | 2 | California Institute of Technology | United States | =3 |
| =6 | 6 | Carnegie Mellon University | United States | 24 |
| 8 | 5 | Georgia Institute of Technology | United States | 33 |
| 9 | 7 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom | 8 |
| 10 | 8 | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Switzerland | =38 |
