See the Top Global Universities By Subject Area
Top-Ranked Global Universities by Subject
The U.S. is a popular destination for college students looking for a world-class education. But it's far from the only country to consider. There are universities around the world whose research excels in specialized subject areas, from computer science to arts and humanities.
Here are the top-ranked schools in each subject included in the U.S. News Best Global Universities rankings. This list highlights five regions of the world, excluding North America.
Updated 10/23/15: This slideshow was updated to include additional subjects and to reflect the most current data.
Agricultural Sciences
Africa: Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
Subject rank: 92
Asia: China Agricultural University
Subject rank: 4
Australia/New Zealand: University of Queensland Australia
Subject rank: 24 (tie)
Europe: Wageningen University and Research Center (Netherlands)
Subject rank: 1
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 5
See the full agricultural sciences rankings.
Arts and Humanities
Africa: N/A
Asia: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Subject rank: 60
Australia/New Zealand: Australian National University
Subject rank: 19
Europe: University of Oxford (U.K.)
Subject rank: 1
Latin America: N/A
See the full arts and humanities rankings.
Biology and Biochemistry
Africa: University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Subject rank: 243 (tie)
Asia: University of Tokyo
Subject rank: 13 (tie)
Australia/New Zealand: University of Queensland Australia
Subject rank: 49
Europe: University of Oxford (U.K.)
Subject rank: 7
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 74 (tie)
See the full biology and biochemistry rankings.
Chemistry
Africa: N/A
Asia: Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
Subject rank: 5
Australia/New Zealand: Monash University (Australia)
Subject rank: 57 (tie)
Europe: University of Cambridge (U.K.)
Subject rank: 10 (tie)
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 111
See the full chemistry rankings.
Clinical Medicine
Africa: University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Subject rank: 126 (tie)
Asia: University of Tokyo
Subject rank: 65 (tie)
Australia/New Zealand: University of Sydney
Subject rank: 36
Europe: University of Oxford (U.K.)
Subject rank: 4
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 109
See the full clinical medicine rankings.
Computer Science
Africa: N/A
Asia: Tsinghua University (China)
Subject rank: 5
Australia/New Zealand: University of Melbourne (Australia)
Subject rank: 46 (tie)
Europe: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
Subject rank: 18
Latin America: N/A
See the full computer science rankings.
Economics and Business
Africa: N/A
Asia: National University of Singapore
Subject rank: 45
Australia/New Zealand: University of Melbourne (Australia)
Subject rank: 35
Europe: London School of Economics and Political Science
Subject rank: 10
Latin America: N/A
See the full economics and business rankings.
Engineering
Africa: N/A
Asia: Tsinghua University (China)
Subject rank: 1
Australia/New Zealand: University of New South Wales (Australia)
Subject rank: 40
Europe: Imperial College London
Subject rank: 12
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 141 (tie)
See the full engineering rankings.
Environment/Ecology
Africa: University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Subject rank: 96 (tie)
Asia: Peking University (China)
Subject rank: 28 (tie)
Australia/New Zealand: University of Queensland Australia
Subject rank: 10
Europe: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
Subject rank: 5
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 91
See the full environment/ecology rankings.
Geosciences
Africa: University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Subject rank: 146 (tie)
Asia: Peking University, University o
Subject ranks: 17 (tie)
Australia/New Zealand: Australian National University
Subject rank: 27
Europe: Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich
Subject rank: 3
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 124 (tie)
See the full geosciences rankings.
Immunology
Africa: University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Subject rank: 43 (tie)
Asia: Osaka University (Japan)
Subject rank: 16 (tie)
Australia/New Zealand: University of Melbourne (Australia)
Subject rank: 25
Europe: University of Oxford (U.K.)
Subject rank: 4
Latin America: N/A
See the full immunology rankings.
Materials Science
Africa: N/A
Asia: Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
Subject rank: 2
Australia/New Zealand: Monash University
Subject rank: 43
Europe: University of Cambridge (U.K.)
Subject rank: 14
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 174 (tie)
See the full materials science rankings.
Mathematics
Africa: N/A
Asia: Peking University
Subject rank: 15
Australia/New Zealand: University of New South Wales (Australia)Subject rank: 102 (tie)
Europe: Pierre and Marie Curie University - Paris 6, University of Oxford
Subject rank: 5 (tie)
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 38 (tie)
See the full mathematics rankings.
Microbiology
Africa: University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Subject rank: 99
Asia: University of Tokyo
Subject rank: 15
Australia/New Zealand: University of Queensland Australia
Subject rank: 28 (tie)
Europe: University of Oxford (U.K.)
Subject rank: 4
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 56 (tie)
See the full microbiology rankings.
Molecular Biology and Genetics
Africa: N/A
Asia: University of Tokyo
Subject rank: 36 (tie)
Australia/New Zealand: University of Melbourne (Australia)
Subject rank: 51
Europe: University of Cambridge (U.K.)
Subject rank: 4
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 125 (tie)
See the full molecular biology and genetics rankings.
Neuroscience and Behavior
Africa: N/A
Asia: University of Tokyo
Subject rank: 67
Australia/New Zealand: University of Melbourne (Australia)
Subject rank: 35 (tie)
Europe: University College London
Subject rank: 2
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 120 (tie)
See the full neuroscience and behavior rankings.
Pharmacology and Toxicology
Africa: N/A
Asia: Seoul National University (South Korea)
Subject rank: 13
Australia/New Zealand: Monash University (Australia)
Subject rank: 18 (tie)
Europe: Karolinska Institute (Sweden)
Subject rank: 5
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 37
See the full pharmacology and toxicology rankings.
Physics
Africa: N/A
Asia: University of Tokyo
Subject rank: 5
Australia/New Zealand: University of SydneySubject rank: 125 (tie)
Europe: University of Cambridge (U.K.)
Subject rank: 9
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 85 (tie)
See the full physics rankings.
Plant and Animal Science
Africa: University of Pretoria (South Africa)
Subject rank: 89 (tie)
Asia: University of Tokyo
Subject rank: 11
Australia/New Zealand: University of Queensland Australia
Subject rank: 20
Europe: Wageningen University and Research University (Netherlands)
Subject rank: 3 (tie)
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 22
See the full plant and animal science rankings.
Psychiatry/Pyschology
Africa: N/A
Asia: University of Hong Kong
Subject rank: 96 (tie)
Australia/New Zealand: University of Melbourne (Australia)
Subject rank: 24
Europe: King's College London
Subject rank: 2
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 104 (tie)
See the full psychiatry/psychology rankings.
Social Sciences and Public Health
Africa: University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Subject rank: 73
Asia: National University of Singapore
Subject rank: 84 (tie)
Australia/New Zealand: University of Queensland Australia
Subject rank: 29 (tie)
Europe: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Subject rank: 3
Latin America: Universidade de São Paulo
Subject rank: 143 (tie)
See the full social sciences and public health rankings.
Space Science
Africa: N/A
Asia: University of Tokyo
Subject rank: 24 (tie)
Australia/New Zealand: Australian National University
Subject rank: 55 (tie)
Europe: University of Cambridge (U.K.)
Subject rank: 9
Latin America: Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSubject rank: 83 (tie)
See the full space science rankings.
Learn More About the Best Global Universities
Be sure to check out the full Best Global Universities rankings and learn more about earning a degree overseas as well as how to pay for an education abroad.
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Travis Mitchell is an education Web producer at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at tmitchell@usnews.com.
