The Department of English and Film Studies achieved a rank of 22 in the world for English Language and Literature in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, up from 37 in the world in 2013. Subject ranking is compiled from what QS calls "the top 200 universities" in more than 30 subjects. The ranking makes EFS the highest ranked University of Alberta department in the QS survey this year. EFS ranked ahead of English programmes in universities like Trinity College Dublin (25), NYU (41) and the University of Texas at Austin (29). In Canada, only the University of Toronto, at 13, ranked ahead of EFS for English Language and Literature.
How does the QS compile its rankings by subject? According to the QS website, rankings are calculated using these metrics:
1. Academic reputation (40%) - a global survey, in which academics are asked to identify where the best work is taking place in their field of expertise.
2. Employer reputation (10%) - a global survey asking employers to identify universities they perceive as producing the best graduates.
3. Student-to-faculty ratio (20%) - questions are asked about class size.
4. Citations per faculty (20%) - this refers to the number of citations found for research published by faculty members.
5. International faculty ratio (5%) and international student ratio (5%).
In the QS University rankings for 2014, the University of Alberta ranked 84th overall of 400 universities surveyed, up from 96th place in 2013.
Please see the Related Links section for the Provost & VP (Academic), Dr Carl G Amrhein, interview with Metro News.