Influential international rankings place College of Humanities subjects amongst the world’s best

Humanities subjects have done particularly well in the new rankings. The College is delighted to announce that English has been recognised amongst the Top 50 in the world, having been ranked at 43rd. Modern Languages and History are also in the Top 150 globally.

Professor Jane Spencer, Head of English welcomed the latest rankings. She said: “This news is a fantastic boost to all of us in English. We’ve made huge strides in the last three years as a result of the enormous efforts of a very strong group of academics and support staff on the Exeter and Cornwall campuses.

“The English team has been expanding its world-class research within a number of international partnerships, and we are passionate about bringing the benefits of work in the humanities to the widest possible community. We combine these endeavours with a constant dedication to improving our students’ experience, knowing that it’s when excellent research and a commitment to education go together that university life thrives.”

Professor Nick Kaye, Dean of the College of Humanities, comments that humanities subjects and English in particular have consistently made impressive progress in their global standing, “The rapid rise of Humanities' disciplines in the world University rankings is testament to the outstanding quality of the research and teaching of our academic staff. This international recognition will help create new opportunities for us as we continue to build our collaborations with leading universities across the world.”

3002 universities were evaluated for the third edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject, and 689 institutions ranked in total. 130 million citation attributions were analysed and verified while 10639 programmes were researched.