The University of Cape Town (UCT) has been ranked among the top 100 universities in five subject areas by ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) 2022. The top-ranking subjects are environmental science and engineering, oceanography, clinical medicine, mining and mineral engineering, and public health.
Once again UCT performed best in environmental science and engineering, placing 24th in the world, just one place down from last year. This retains the significant jump up that took place two years ago, compared with prior years, as a result of a prestigious award within this research field that was conferred on Dr Jackie King.
In 2019, Dr King (now retired from UCT) won the Stockholm Water Prize, regarded as the ‘Nobel’ prize of water. Highly prestigious honours such as this are weighted heavily in the ShanghaiRanking’s GRAS.
“UCT is deeply proud of the contributions our academics make towards meeting the great challenges of our time and on our continent.”
“Dr Jackie King has been a significant contributor to ground-breaking research into water systems with national and global influence, so it is fitting that her work continues to elevate our ranking in this important field,” said Professor Sue Harrison, the deputy vice-chancellor for Research and Internationalisation. “Research into sustainable water systems now largely takes place within the Future Water Institute, where it is a great and constantly growing strength of UCT.”
Significant impact
More than 1 800 out of 5 000 universities across 96 countries and regions were ranked in 54 subjects across natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences. UCT was ranked in 21 of these subject areas.
The other UCT subjects in the top 100 are:
“It is notable that these are all areas where our research contributes significant impact that speaks directly to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” said Professor Harrison. “UCT is deeply proud of the contributions our academics make towards meeting the great challenges of our time and on our continent.”
The 2022 GRAS list from ShanghaiRanking evaluates institutions according to five indicators (different weights are allocated to the indicators for different subjects). These are:
Earlier this year, UCT also performed well in the 2022 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject. UCT’s development studies was ranked 9th in the world and a further four subjects featured in the 51–100 range. These were anthropology, architecture/built environment, geography and medicine.
See the full ShanghaiRanking’s GRAS 2022 listing.
Read more about ShanghaiRanking’s GRAS 2022 methodology.
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As we look back on 2022, we celebrate some of the stories that were popular with readers of the UCT News website during the year.
The Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at UCT hosted the prestigious d.confestival, the first design thinking event of its kind in Africa.
13 Jan 2023 - 4 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT researchers were honoured for their research at the NRF awards, while others were added to the NRF’s list of A-rated scholars.
12 Jan 2023 - 9 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT is one of the best places in the world for development studies, according to the subject rankings from Quacquarelli Symonds.
12 Jan 2023 - 2 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT was ranked 237th in the world by the Quacquarelli Symonds university rankings.
11 Jan 2023 - 3 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT’s Faculty of Science graduation walk of celebration.
11 Jan 2023 Readers’ Choice 2022UCT’s Faculty of Humanities graduation walk of celebration.
11 Jan 2023 Readers’ Choice 2022UCT was been ranked among the top 100 universities in five subject areas by ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2022.
09 Jan 2023 - 3 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT doctoral student Mweete Debra Nglazi’s research showed that obesity in SA women of childbearing age is due to a lack of physical activity and increased consumption of unhealthy food.
09 Jan 2023 - 5 min read Readers’ Choice 2022Master’s graduate Dr Joshua Fieggen was one of four UCT alumni to receive a 2023 Rhodes Scholarship.
09 Jan 2023 - 5 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT researcher Dr Katherine Antel has received two international awards for work in HIV-associated lymphoma.
06 Jan 2023 - 3 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng said design thinking and interdisciplinary research foster habits of collaboration, creative confidence and a trial-and-error mindset.
05 Jan 2023 - 5 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT’s Forest Hill Residence launched the innovative “You Have the Drive” programme to help students acquire their driver’s licences.
05 Jan 2023 - 7 min read Readers’ Choice 2022The 2020 and 2021 Student Leadership Awards recognised the outstanding contributions made by student leaders and organisations in an online ceremony.
04 Jan 2023 - 6 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT remained the top university on the continent according to ShanghaiRanking’s 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities.
03 Jan 2023 - 3 min read Readers’ Choice 2022Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng lauded VC Excellence Award winners at a COVID-19-delayed event held at Glenara.
30 Dec 2022 - 4 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT leadership and staff gathered at the Table Bay Hotel on 25 October for a celebration dinner in honour of the 2022 UCT retirees.
30 Dec 2022 - 7 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT is among the top 60 most international universities in the world, according to the 2022 list released by Times Higher Education.
29 Dec 2022 - 3 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT’s Associate Professor Amshuda Sonday’s promotion to the professoriate took effect on 1 January 2022.
29 Dec 2022 - 6 min read Readers’ Choice 2022Associate Professor Shannon Morreira’s promotion to the professoriate marked a full-circle moment for her academic career at UCT.
28 Dec 2022 - 8 min read Readers’ Choice 2022Employees owe a duty of care to safeguard their colleagues from COVID-19 harm, wrote UCT’s Pierre de Vos.
28 Dec 2022 - >10 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT researchers excelled among the University of Stanford’s Top 2% Scientists in the World.
23 Dec 2022 - 2 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng wished the matric class of 2022 well as they wrote their final exams.
23 Dec 2022 - 3 min read Readers’ Choice 2022In April, UCT was ranked the best university on the African continent and 270th worldwide, according to the Center for World University Rankings.
22 Dec 2022 - 2 min read Readers’ Choice 2022The three-day First-Year Campus Reception programme took place in the Sports Centre on upper campus.
22 Dec 2022 - 1 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT soars 23 places to land at 160th globally in the latest international university rankings published by Times Higher Education.
21 Dec 2022 - 3 min read Readers’ Choice 2022UCT’s executive said farewell to the SRC at a dinner hosted by VC Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng on 16 November.
21 Dec 2022 - 8 min read Readers’ Choice 2022