UP among world’s best in agriculture studies, but drops English
MANILA, Philippines – For two years in a row, the University of the Philippines (UP) was ranked among the world’s best in terms of Agriculture and Forestry, the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject showed.
The only Philippine institution that placed within the top 200 in any of the 30 disciplines surveyed, UP maintained its 151-200 rank.
However, the state university dropped out of the rankings for English Language and Literature. From top 34 in 2011 and 33 in 2012, UP’s rank fell to 51-100 last year. This year, it did not even make the top 200.
In the past years, the Philippines also ranked in Geography (51-100 in 2011, 101-150 in 2012) and Modern Languages (151-200 in 2011).
QS said UP also ranked within the 151-200 range for environmental science but its website showed otherwise. The last time UP made the cut for environmental studies was in 2011 with a rank of 101-150.
Bandung Institute of Technology is in a similar position, as the only institution to represent Indonesia, ranking 151-200 in computer science. On the other hand, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore have secured a number of spots in engineering and technology disciplines.
“Asia accounts for ten of the top 30 institutions in chemical, civil and electrical engineering, and eight in mechanical engineering, showing that several institutions throughout the region can now be considered serious global players,” QS said in a statement.
National University of Singapore made the global Top 10 in all five disciplines under engineering and technology.
Harvard remains the “best all-round institution,” topping 11 out of 30 disciplines.
The QS World University Rankings by Subject is supposed to be a “comprehensive guide to the world’s top universities in a range of popular subject areas.” The rankings are based on academic reputation and research citations.
Last year, UP, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University (DLSU), and University of Santo Tomas (UST) were included in the top 1000 of the 2013 QS World University Rankings.
However, UP’s rank fell from 348th in 2012 to 380th in 2013, Ateneo from 451-500 to 501-550, and UST from 601+ to 701+. DLSU maintained its rank of 601+.
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