Waterloo shines in the latest global subject rankings

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The University of Waterloo has been recognized for its academic excellence across a broad range of disciplines in the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) subject rankings released by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy.

Seven Waterloo subjects ranked number one in Canada, and 19 in the top 100 globally. Hospitality and tourism management was highest on the list, ranking first in Canada and 13th globally. Remote sensing, water resources, transportation science and technology, electrical and electronic engineering, physics, energy science and engineering, and physics also ranked number one in Canada and top 50 globally.

Other standouts included telecommunications engineering, which earned the 15th spot worldwide, while environmental science and engineering, geography, material science and engineering, mathematics, mechanical engineering and public health all ranked in the top 100.

The annual ARWU rankings evaluate more than 1,900 universities in 96 countries across 55 subject areas. The results are based on five indicators: research output, research influence, international collaboration, research quality and academic awards.

The latest rankings reinforce Waterloo’s longstanding position as a leading global research-intensive university and reflect the University’s committed community of researchers solving the most complex challenges of our time shaped by fundamental and applied research excellence.

This thriving research ecosystem is further bolstered by deep connections with industry and an established entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports Waterloo researchers in commercializing their ideas to provide broad social and economic benefits that will enable humanity to thrive in a complex future.

Here is the detailed breakdown of subjects that ranked in the top 100 globally in their respective areas:

Hospitality and tourism management* 13
Telecommunications engineering  15
Remote sensing* 16
Water resources* 24
Transportation science and technology* 29
Electrical and electronic engineering*  31
Environmental Science and Engineering 36

Physics* 38
Computer science and engineering  43
Energy science and engineering* 44
Material science and engineering, mathematics, public health 51 - 75
Geography, mechanical engineering, statistics   76 - 100

* Ranked number 1 in Canada. 

For more information about the ARWU rankings and the methodology used, please visit the Shanghai Ranking website.