The University of Johannesburg (UJ)’s academic prowess and quality of teaching excellence has once again been recognised by a top international rankings system.
This is according to the latest subject rankings from the Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject (QS WUR by Subject) which were released yesterday, 22 March 2023.
In total, UJ has been ranked in 13 QS subjects, two subjects more than last year. The institution’s rankings have improved in four subjects, debuted two subjects and retained rank band positions in five subjects.
The results for UJ are as follows:
- Development Studies: in the 51-100 band in the world– joint #3 in South Africa
- Hospitality & Leisure Management: in the 101-150 band in the world – #2 in South Africa
- Education & Training: in the 301-350 band in the world – joint #2 in South Africa
- Agriculture & Forestry: in the 301-350 band in the world – joint #5 in South Africa
- Chemical Engineering: in the 351-400 band in the world – joint #5 in South Africa
- Environmental Sciences: in the 351-400 band in the world – #5 in South Africa
- Electrical & Electronic Engineering: in the 401-450 band in the world – joint #2 in South Africa
- Economics & Econometrics: in the 401-450 band in the world – #4 in South Africa
- Chemistry: in the 451-500 band in the world – joint #2 in South Africa
- Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering: in the 451-500 band in the world – joint #4 in South Africa
- Physics & Astronomy: in the 501-550 band in the world – joint #4 in South Africa
- Medicine: in the 501-550 band in the world – #6 in South Africa
- Biological Sciences: in the 601-650 band in the world – #6 in South Africa
Four subjects ranked second in South Africa
In the 2023 edition of the QS rankings, four of UJ’s subjects have been ranked high nationally. The subjects are: Hospitality & Leisure Management, Education & Training, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, and Chemistry have been placed second amongst SA universities. Furthermore, Development Studies has been ranked third in the country.
Dean of the Faculty of Education, Professor Nadine Petersen said the faculty is delighted with how Education and Training performed and attributed their success to the hard work of their staff and associates.
“The growing stature of the faculty’s research – both in terms of the quantity and the quality of the output produced – is noteworthy. Staff are increasingly publishing in high impact journals and producing knowledge with an emphasis on 4IR, innovation, social impact of the research and the way in which we impact the SDGs. There is also the importance of our reputation as gauged by employers. Here we feel confident that we are producing good quality teachers for the sector and excellent postgraduate students who take up leadership positions in education and training sectors in South Africa and around the world,” Prof Petersen said.
Her sentiments are echoed by Professor James Ramontja, head of the department of Chemical Sciences, which is where Chemistry is taught at UJ. Professor Ramontja marked the support of the Faculty of Science and broader management of UJ as vital to Chemistry being second nationally, now for the second year in a row.
“The support from the Faculty of Science & UJ management at large, our strong intra- and inter-departmental collaborations, Pan African partnerships in research & development, as well as international collaborations have been important to us achieving this feat. Most importantly, the department is blessed with many young academics (≈36, with an average age of 43 years old) who are highly ambitious, hardworking, energetic, success-driven, and always seeking opportunities to advance their careers further as fully established and impactful academics at the global arena. The teamwork that is displayed by this group is something that is very inexplicable,” he said.
UJ’s recognition as a leading university in the Global South
This year, QS ranked 1594 institutions across 54 subjects in their 2023 edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject. QS compiles information from five sources to produce its subject rankings: two global surveys of academics and employers to assess international reputation, and three indicators – research citations per paper, h-index, and a new indicator added this year for the 2023 edition: international research network (IRN) index – to assess research impact. Depending on the discipline, these are weighted differentially.
As a university in the Global South, UJ is honoured and proud to be repeatedly recognised as one of the best destinations in the world to study and conduct research in these subjects.
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