The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has shot up in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking by Subjects, with chemistry placing 11th and five engineering subjects – Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering and Mechanical Engineering – making a giant leap into top 20 or better. Amongst the 17 subjects for which HKUST was ranked, 12 subjects enjoyed an improved standing compared with last year.
School of Science’s chemistry, environmental sciences and earth & marine sciences compared favorably to last year, amongst which chemistry demonstrated an impressive jump of 30 places to 11th in the world. For the five subjects covered in the Engineering and Technology rankings, the School of Engineering was placed within the top 20, including Computer Science (13th), Electrical Engineering (17th), Civil Engineering (18th), Mechanical Engineering (19th) and Chemical Engineering (20th). Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Chemical Engineering were ranked first in Greater China, and Mechanical Engineering first in Hong Kong. Standings for the five areas climbed up between 11 and 32 places. Another significant jump was registered in Statistics and Operational Research, which came 14th, and subjects like Accounting & Finance and Economics & Econometrics also saw big improvements.
Prof Khaled Ben Letaief, Dean of Engineering attributed the marked improvement in rankings to the School’s ability to attract a critical mass of outstanding faculty and researchers, the 27 IEEE Fellows being some of them, to undertake cutting-edge and quality research projects as well as to induce ingenious pedagogies. Added to this are the School’s world-class research facilities and a dynamic research milieu. The School of Engineering has pioneered more interdisciplinary research, such as those on environment and energy, and it is going to leverage the golden opportunity presented by the 334 restructuring to enhance the breadth and depth of its program offerings and create more exchange and internship opportunities for students. In the first HKDSE examination, the School of Engineering has admitted the largest number of students who attained 5** amongst local engineering schools, and the total number of 5** achieved by students has also outnumbered other local institutions.
Prof Nancy Ip, Dean of Science is delighted about the significant jump in the ranking for chemistry, as basic sciences play an important role in pushing the frontiers of cutting-edge research. She pointed out that School of Science has in recent years achieved numerous groundbreaking research discoveries in a wide array of fields including light-emitting materials, nanotechnology, protein molecular functions and brain diseases, all of which being published in world-esteemed journals. In the future, the School of Science will stay committed to pursuing cutting-edge research, making new discoveries and establishing new research paradigms. The School will continue to work with leading institutions around the world, so that faculty, researchers and students can enjoy more diversified development opportunities and make greater contributions to society.
Taking pleasure in the international and community-wide recognition accorded to HKUST, Prof Tony F Chan said, “As a world-class research university, HKUST is committed to innovation and excellence in fostering society’s development. In this year’s QS global subject rankings, improvements in engineering, science, business management and humanities rankings have affirmed the University’s excellence in education and research, as well as our faculty’s accomplishments.” Prof Chan reiterated that the goal of HKUST is not to achieve high rankings, though it can be a useful tool to measure the University’s performance and identify its areas of improvement. HKUST will continue to fulfill its unique mission in education and research, and to nurture top talents and contribute to society through groundbreaking research.
Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking by Subjects encompasses 29 individual subjects to be ranked by a number of indicators including academic reputation, employer reputation and citations per year.
About Quacquarelli Symonds World University Ranking by Subjects:
http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2012/subject-rankings/
About the rankings for the School of Engineering:
http://www.seng.ust.hk/web/eng/news_detail.php?id=700
For media enquiries, please feel free to contact :
Mavis Wong
Tel: 2358 6306
Email: maviswong@ust.hk
