The University of Toronto has placed among the top 10 universities globally in five subjects - sociology (2nd), medical technology (5th), public health (7th), finance (8th) and management (10th) - in the latest ShanghaiRanking Consultancy rankings by subject.
U of T also ranked in the top 100 globally in 42 subjects in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2024, released last week - a feat matched only by the University of Michigan.
Among Canadian universities, U of T ranked first in 27 subjects. That's more than any other institution.
"The University of Toronto's performance in the latest Shanghai subject rankings underscores our academic excellence across an extremely broad range of fields," said U of T President Meric Gertler.
"These results are a testament to the talent and dedication of our world-leading researchers and scholars."
More than 1,900 universities across 96 countries and regions are listed in the 2024 edition of the Shanghai subject rankings, which cover 55 subjects across natural sciences, engineering, life sciences, medical sciences and social sciences.
This year, the methodology was updated with four new indicators, increasing the total to nine. The new evaluation criteria include the number of faculty who are: recipients of significant awards, chief editors of academic journals, leaders in international academic organizations and considered highly cited researchers.
Existing criteria continue to assess research output, quality and influence, international collaboration and other academic awards.
Of the 55 subject areas covered by the rankings, U of T ranked in the top 50 globally in 28 subjects and in the top 25 globally in 21 subjects.
The updated methodology resulted in significant changes for U of T in several subjects, including 25 where U of T moved up the rankings. Notable gains included: chemistry, which moved into 37th place from outside the top 50; political science, which climbed 23 spots to 18th; biology, which rose 12 spots to 21st; human biology, which rose 12 spots to 24th; and computer science, which climbed seven places to 17th. U of T declined in 18 subjects and remain unchanged in 5 subjects.
The ShanghaiRanking Consultancy also produces the influential Academic Ranking of World Universities, the most recent edition of which ranked U of T as Canada's top university and 26th in the world.
Overall, U of T continues to be the highest-ranked Canadian university and one of the top-ranked public universities in the five most closely watched international rankings: Times Higher Education's World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings, ShanghaiRanking Consultancy's Academic Ranking of World Universities, U.S. News & World Report's Best Global Universities and National Taiwan University World University Rankings.
