Environment expertise highlighted in QS World University Rankings
Geophysics, Geology, Earth and Marine Sciences, and Geography at Leeds are in the top 30 subjects in the latest QS World University Rankings, with three of these areas having improved from last year.
The subjects and institutions are ranked by academic and employer reputation, the quality of institutions' published research, and universities' global engagement, including research partnerships and co-authored publications.
The University of Leeds has 31 subjects in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject’s top 100 – up from 27 last year, and with 12 ranked in the top 50.
The Faculty of Environment’s top-rated subjects are:
- Geophysics – 14th globally, 3rd in the UK
- Geology – 15th globally, 3rd in the UK
- Earth and Marine Sciences – 20th globally, 4th in the UK, and
- Geography – 23rd globally, 9th in the UK.
Improved positions from 2024 in three of these four subjects demonstrate the academic excellence across the Faculty.
Professor Alan Haywood, Interim Executive Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Professor of Palaeoclimate Modelling, said:
“These results highlight the importance of what we do in supporting the overall esteem of the University of Leeds, and I am tremendously thankful for all the hard work and dedication in helping secure this positive outcome.”
Four of the University’s five broad subject areas have seen improved rankings: Engineering & Technology, Life Science & Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences & Management.
The 2025 edition of the respected QS World University Rankings by Subject features 55 individual subjects across five broad subject areas, analysing 5,203 higher education institutions. At Leeds, 48 subjects are ranked, of which almost two-thirds are in the top 100 globally.
The University of Leeds is currently ranked 82nd globally – the University’s second highest position in the QS rankings’ 20-year history.
