Top Engineering Schools in Australia in 2020

The recent QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020 covers the best universities for 48 different subjects, including 502 top engineering and technology schools around the world – 20 of which can be found in Australia.

The ranking covers five different branches of engineering – chemical, civil and structural, electrical, mechanical, and mineral and mining.

The rankings are compiled using four indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations per paper and the h-index (a way of measuring the productivity and impact of published work). You can find out more about the methodology used here.

In the 2020 engineering and technology subject rankings, the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney takes the top spot position in Australia, in 37^thplace worldwide. The university scores well across all of the indicators – particularly the research citations per paper indicator.

Also in the world top 100 for engineering and technology this year are Australian universities: University of Melbourne (joint 41^st), Monash University (dropping four places to 54^th), the University of Sydney (falling five places to joint 61^st), Australian National University (sliding down 10 places in the rankings to 71^st) and the University of Queensland (joint 76^th).

See the full engineering and technology subject ranking here.

Top Universities for Chemical Engineering

There are 10 Australian universities in the chemical engineering rankings this year, including four in the world top 50.

Monash University maintains its top place position in Australia for its chemical engineering course, scoring incredibly well in the research citations per paper and the H-index indicators, reflecting the strong reputability of the university’s research.

Also in the world top 50 is Monash University (29^th), University of Melbourne (joint 32^nd), the University of Queensland (UQ, falling five places to joint 38^th) and the University of South Wales (rising two places this year to joint 40^th).

View the full chemical engineering ranking here.

Top Universities for Civil and Structural Engineering

Australia is home to 15 of the world’s top universities for civil and structural engineering. The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is the best of these, ranking 11^thin the world after climbing one place in the table this year. UNSW earns a perfect score in the employer reputation indicator, indicating that the university’s graduates have excellent employment prospects.

Of the six Australian universities in the world top 50, four have improved their spot in the world rankings for civil and structural engineering this year. The University of Sydney rises six places to 14^th, the University of Melbourne climbs seven places to joint 15^th, Monash University increases nine places to joint 21^stand the University of Queensland jumps an impressive 10 places to 26^th.

See the full civil and structural engineering ranking here. 

Top Universities for Electrical Engineering

The best of Australia’s 21 electrical engineering universities is the University of New South Wales (UNSW), ranking 35^thin the world, after rising one place this year. UNSW scores particularly well in the research citations per paper indicator this year, once again highlighting the quality of its research output. 

Also in the world top 50, the University of Melbourne performs well in both the research citations per paper indicator and the employer reputation indicator. The University of Melbourne drops one place to 36^ththis year.

See the full electrical engineering ranking here.

Top Universities for Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering

Only the University of Melbourne places in the world top 50 this year, out of the 18 Australian mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering universities featured. The University of Melbourne performs well across all the indicators, particularly the research citations per paper indicator and the employer reputation indicators.

Other Australian universities in the world top 100 include Monash University, the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney, all ranking 51-100.Griffith University is a new entrant in the mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering rankings this year, placing 451-500.

See the full mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing engineering rankings here.

Top Universities for Mineral and Mining Engineering

Nine of the world’s best mineral and mining engineering universities are located in Australia, all of which are in the world top 50. The highest ranking of these universities is Curtin University, placing second in the world for mineral and mining engineering, and earning a perfect score in the employer reputation indicator.

The University of Western Australia (UWA) climbs one place to third and the University of New South Wales overtakes the University of Queensland (UQ, fifth), rising two places to steal fourth position this year. Monash University is a new entrant in the mineral and mining engineering subject ranking this year, entering in seventh place. Another notable entrant this year is the University of Newcastle, Australia  (UON) rising an impressive 10 places this year to rank joint 30^th.
See the full mineral and mining engineering rankings here.