RankingQS Ranking by Subject: First Place in Life Sciences & Medicine
30 March 2023
Heidelberg University takes top position Germany-wide
In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023, Heidelberg University has taken first place in Germany with the subject area Life Sciences & Medicine. Ranked 39th internationally, Ruperto Carola again comes out on top ahead of Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU, 47th internationally) and Munich’s Technical University (80th internationally). As happened last year, Medicine in Heidelberg occupies first place in Germany (36th internationally) in the ranking of single disciplines – ahead of LMU (43rd) and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (51st). Two more Heidelberg University disciplines in the subject area Life Sciences & Medicine have likewise attained top places: after an improvement by 32 places Heidelberg’s Pharmacy & Pharmacology are now internationally ranked 41st and take first place Germany-wide. Biology is ranked 24th internationally, five places better than last year, and comes second in Germany.
In the rankings for single disciplines, Heidelberg University stands out with other subjects. In the subject area Arts & Humanities, Classics & Ancient History take sixth place internationally and second in Germany, with Theology (20th), Archaeology (25th) and History (48th) also among the Top 50 in their respective discipline internationally. This puts Theology in second place in Germany, while Archaeology and History both occupy fourth position. Taken as a whole, Arts & Humanities are ranked 61st internationally and fourth in Germany. Law in Heidelberg – located in the subject area Social Sciences & Management – is in 63rd position internationally, and third at the national level. The Sports-Related Subjects are in top place in Germany and in the ranking group 101 to 140 internationally.
In the cross-disciplinary subject area ranking, Natural Sciences have moved up twelve places internationally to rank 40th and improved by two places in Germany to rank second. In the individual rankings, Physics & Astronomy – taken together – occupy position 32 internationally and come third at the national level. Geophysics is in top place in Germany and internationally in the 51-to-100 ranking group. Geology (second in Germany) and Geography (third in Germany) are also positioned in this group at the international level.
The assessments of subject areas and rankings by subject – published in March 2023 – are primarily based on data from academic and employer surveys carried out for the QS World University Rankings and evaluated in terms of specific subjects. Citation analyses are likewise taken into account. The results are weighted differently depending on the disciplines.