First Ever World University Rankings for Environmental Sciences Shows International Excellence in the Field

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May 18, 2011, 04:00 ET

LONDON, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- QS Quacquarelli Symonds, has revealed today the results of the first QS World University Rankings(R): Environmental Sciences on http://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/ 2011/subject-rankings

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- Harvard tops the ranking; UC Berkeley comes second; MIT third

- Cambridge (3rd), Oxford (5th) and Imperial College (9th) the best performing British institutions

- Australian National University takes the 10th spot while Tokyo University (12th ) is the best Asian university. ETH Zurich (13th) the top Continental European

In a world plagued by climate change, wars for water, and the increasing scarcity of conventional fossil fuel resources required to sustain global economic progress, the first QS World University Rankings (R) Environmental Sciences reflects the global academic and research excellence in this topical discipline.

With 29 countries represented in the top 200, the ranking highlights the collaborative effort of universities, governments, and businesses as multidisciplinary research by institutions around the world is creating a revolution in our quest for sustainable growth and addressing these pressing environmental issues.

    Top 50 for Environmental Sciences by country

    Country/Region                           University (rank)
    United Kingdom                             Cambridge (3rd)
    United States                                Harvard (1st)
    Switzerland                              ETH Zurich (13th)
    Japan                           University of Tokyo (12th)
    Australia            Australian National University (10th)
    France         Universite Grenoble, Joseph Fourier (42nd=)
    Canada               University of British Columbia (11th)
    Singapore        National University of Singapore (14th =)
    China                             Peking University (22nd)
    South Korea               Seoul National University(42nd=)
    Hong Kong                   University of Hong Kong (33rd)
    New Zealand                 University of Auckland (34th=)
    Sweden                             Lund University (39th=)
    Netherlands                   Wageningen University (41st)

Ben Sowter, head of research at QS says, "The US and UK have always been strong in the field and feature prominently in the top 200, but the fact that 29 countries feature in the top 200 of the rankings shows that universities around the world are placing a strong emphasis on the importance of environmental research and teaching. China's strong performance in the field demonstrates the country's move towards developing a more environmentally friendly and sustainable approach to its phenomenal economic growth."

The QS Global Academic Advisory Board has developed the inaugural QS World University Rankings(R) by subject in response to a demand for more granular detail. Universities are ranked based on academic reputation, employer reputation and research citations, with weightings tailored to each subject.

The best-performing universities in Physics, Metallurgy and Materials, Mathematics, Earth and Marine Sciences and Chemistry are also revealed today on http://www.topuniversities.com

SOURCE QS Quacquarelli Symonds