Revealed: world's best universities for arts, engineering and sciences

UAE higher education institutions achieve best performance to date in QS World University Rankings by Subject

OXFORD, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 08: A cyclist travels past the Radcliffe Camera building in Oxford city centre as Oxford University commences its academic year on October 8, 2009 in Oxford, England. Oxford University has a student population in excess of 20,000 taken from over 140 countries around the world. The University is made up of 38 independent, self-governing colleges, three of which: University College, Balliol College, and Merton College, were established by the 13th century. According to the QS/Times Higher Education rankings, Oxford has slipped down the international league table from fourth to a joint fifth place with Imperial College London. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Best universities for Arts and Humanities: 1. University of Oxford (pictured), 2. Harvard University, 3. University of Cambridge, =4. University of California, Berkeley, =4 Yale University. Getty Images

Neil Murphy

Mar 08, 2021

British and American universities lead in the fields of arts, engineering and sciences, according to a new global ranking.

The QS World University Rankings by Subject includes in this year's edition familiar names renowned for their academic excellence.

The University of Oxford dominates the arts field overall, taking top ranking in disciplines such as history and English language.

Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi remains the country's top seat of learning. Chris Whiteoak/The National

UAE universities in record performance for QS global subject rankings

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Cambridge University was top in two subjects but had more top 20 placements than any other university in the world.

Meanwhile, NYU has the world's top philosophy department and Notre Dame was first in theology and religious studies.

MIT, the renowned research institution in New England, leads the way in engineering and natural sciences.

It took the top slot in no less than 12 disciplines, including chemistry, computer science, engineering and mathematics.

MIT also placed second in four subject areas: accounting and finance; biological sciences; earth and marine sciences; and materials science.

Research citations and major global surveys of employers and academics are used to compile the QS subject rankings.

QS also ranks universities overall and MIT has topped the list nine years in a row.

National University of Singapore was considered Asia's best university last year, while King Abdulaziz University took the top spot in the Arab region, according to QS.

Higher education institutions in the UAE recorded their best performances to date, with eight new departments entering the global university table.