QS Subject rankings: Mineral and Mining Engineering at UQ top 5 in world

6 Mar 2019

Mineral and mining engineering at The University of Queensland is ranked 5 in the world, according to the latest figures from international rankings survey QS Subject rankings which considers over 1200 universities in 78 countries around the world.

UQ also excelled in chemical engineering, ranking 33rd in the world and civil and structural engineering ranking 36th in the world, placing a total of 24 specific subject areas in the top 50 of the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019.

Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Doune Macdonald said UQ showed significant upward jumps in the QS Subject rankings this year in a number of areas, including Engineering - Mineral and Mining, Nursing, Sociology, Earth and Marine Science.

“Globally we have risen from third in 2018 to number two in Sports-Related Subjects, and from 10th in 2018 to fifth position in Engineering - Mineral and Mining,” Professor Macdonald said.

“I think we can take those results as an endorsement of UQ’s continued strong investment in research and teaching, and in weighty industry partnerships.

Professor Macdonald said UQ’s leaders were focussed on producing high-quality research with globally significant impact.

“We are committed to research excellence, and to attracting and retaining high-achieving staff and students, and responding with agility to employers’ changing needs,” she said.

UQ Discipline Leader for Mining Engineering Professor Peter Knights said UQ has a very strong reputation among the Australian and international mining and Mining Equipment and Technology and Services (METS) sectors for producing quality graduates and world-class research and development services.

"Over the last decade at UQ we have educated over 500 mining engineering graduates and chemical and metallurgical engineering dual degree graduates, many of whom now occupy positions of responsibility within the mining and METS sectors, " said Professor Knights.

“We take a hands-on approach to teaching; by working with industry to enable students to observe and experience mining and metallurgical engineers on-site as they work, we’re able to show them what a career in this sector really looks like, and we’ve found this has had a positive impact on the number of students who elect to study mining engineering and pursue it as a career.”

In broad subject areas, QS ranked UQ sixth in Australia in Engineering and Technology and equal 75th globally.

The 24 specific subject areas where the QS report ranks UQ in the world’s top 50 are: