Subject ranking:

Six Austrian universities in the top 50 this year

The University of Vienna achieved its best ranking in media and communication sciences (10).(Bild: TOPPRESS Austria stock.adobe)

Austria can be proud of its educational institutions. This year, six Austrian universities made it into the top 50 in one of 55 subjects in the latest "QS World University Rankings by Subject".

The Vienna University of Music ranked best in fourth place in the performing arts. The University of Vienna achieved the most top 50 placings with eight entries, and was best in Communication Sciences in tenth place.

For the subject ranking by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, academics and employers were asked about the reputation and employability of graduates in the respective subjects. In addition, citations of academic works from the Elsevier Scopus database were evaluated and research partnerships with other higher education institutions were taken into account.

Vienna University of Music delivers best individual result
As in previous years, Vienna University of Music delivered the best individual result for an Austrian university: as in 2023, it achieved fourth place in the performing arts. The Mozarteum in Salzburg, on the other hand, dropped 21 places and is now ranked 33rd in this category.

Media and communication sciences at the University of Vienna top
The University of Vienna achieved its best ranking in media and communication sciences (10). Top 50 ranks were also achieved in theology (21), history (33), archaeology (35), classical studies (40), anthropology (43), linguistics (46) and philosophy (49). The University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Boku) Vienna was ranked 26th in agriculture and forestry, while the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna was ranked 28th in veterinary medicine.

Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) dropped out of the rankings
The Central European University (CEU), which recently moved to Vienna, also made it into the top 50 twice, coming 32nd in political science and 37th in philosophy. In contrast to the previous year, the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU) (then with Business and Management) and the University of Applied Arts (Art and Design) are no longer in the top 50.

Internationally, as with all university rankings, US and British universities came out on top: in four out of five fields of study (arts and humanities, natural sciences, life sciences/medicine and social and economic sciences) Harvard University achieved the best rankings, while in one (engineering/technology) the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) came out on top.