According to the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2017, the U of A is named in the top 100 in an unprecedented 25 subjects, including 10th in the world for sports-related subjects.
Kerry Mummery, dean of the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, said his faculty both contributes to and benefits from decades of success of the university's varsity sports teams by integrating teaching and research in the area of sport science and sports studies.
UAlberta subject-area rankings for 2017
Top 50
- Sports-Related Subjects 10
- Nursing 16
- Engineering - Mineral & Mining 18
- Pharmacy & Pharmacology 44
- Archeology 45
- Hospitality & Leisure Management 45
- Education 49
51-100
- Chemistry
- Mathematics
- Social Policy & Administration
- Communication & Media Studies
- Accounting & Finance
- Anthropology
- Earth & Marine Sciences
- Environmental Sciences
- Dentistry
- Medicine
- Psychology
- Veterinary Science
- Agriculture & Forestry
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Engineering - Chemical
- English Language & Literature
- Philosophy
- Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies
"The faculty's recent development of Canada's first master of coaching degree, combined with new undergraduate majors in sport performance and sport coaching, tie research, teaching and practice together like few other institutions in the world," he said, adding his faculty is currently moving forward with plans to create the University of Alberta Institute of Sport, where all U of A sport-related research will come together under one banner.
"This top 10 QS ranking will help push the formation of the new institute forward."
Also faring well was nursing, which, despite dipping slightly in the rankings year over year, still managed to crack the top 20, settling in at a respectable 16th.
"It starts with our people-we have outstanding researchers, teachers and staff who have a passion for contributing to health and the highest quality of life for all," said Anita Molzahn, dean of the Faculty of Nursing.
The university also cracked the top 20 in mineral and mining engineering (18), and the top 50 in pharmacy and pharmacology (44), archeology (45), hospitality and leisure management (45) and education (49).
Another 18 subject areas had the U of A ranked 51-100, and 16 more were ranked in the 101-150 range. The U of A ranked among the top 200 in all but one of the 46 subjects considered.
To compile these rankings, QS evaluated 4,438 universities, qualified 3,098 and ranked 1,117 institutions in total. More than 127 million citation attributions were analyzed and QS verified the provision of more than 18,900 programs.
This result comes a little more than a month after the U of A jumped an astonishing 79 places in Times Higher Education's World's Most International Universities ranking. The U of A ranked 31st most international university, ahead of the University of Toronto (32), Harvard (33), Stanford (36) and Princeton (37). Other showings include a top five placement in the Maclean's ranking of top Canadian universities and a 94th-place showing in the 2016-17 QS World University Rankings. The QS ranking, which puts a heavy emphasis on reputation, also placed the U of A in the top five nationally.