Top universities for arts & humanities programmes 2022
The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 reveal the top degree programmes in 51 different subjects across five broad subject areas.
11 of these subjects fall within the arts & humanities subject area, ranging from architecture to theology. Below is a look at the top-ranked universities for each of these 11 subjects, as well as for the overall arts & humanities subject ranking which assesses institutions at a faculty level.
What are the top universities for arts & humanities?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for arts & humanities
Rank
University
Location
1
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
2
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
3
Harvard University
United States
4
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
5
Stanford University
United States
6
Yale University
United States
7
Columbia University
United States
8
New York University (NYU)
United States
=9
The University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom
=9
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States
Unsurprisingly, the UK and US dominate the arts & humanities ranking with other English-speaking locations featuring in the top 20. Oxford take the bragging rights over their arch-rivals Cambridge at the top of the ranking, with the University of Edinburgh the only other UK representative.
What are the top universities for archaeology?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for archaeology
Rank
University
Location
1
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
2
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
3
UCL
United Kingdom
4
Harvard University
United States
5
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
6
Stanford University
United States
7
Leiden University
Netherlands
8
Durham University
United Kingdom
9
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States
10
Sapienza University of Rome
Italy
The Netherlands and Italy both get representation in the top 10 universities for archaeology but otherwise this is another top 10 dominated by the UK and the US.
What are the top universities for architecture & built environment?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for architecture & built environment
Rank
University
Location
1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
2
Delft University of Technology
Netherlands
3
UCL
United Kingdom
4
ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Switzerland
5
Harvard University
United States
6
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore
7
Manchester School of Architecture
United Kingdom
8
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
9
Tsinghua University
Mainland China
10
Politecnico di Milano
Italy
This year's architecture top 10 is extremely diverse, with seven different study destinations across three continents. This geographical spread should mean most students are able to find a top architecture programme near them, which may even be at a specialist institution like the Manchester School of Architecture.
What are the top universities for art & design?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for art & design
Rank
University
Location
1
Royal College of Art
United Kingdom
2
University of the Arts London
United Kingdom
3
The New School
United States
4
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)
United States
5
Politecnico di Milano
Italy
6
Aalto University
Finland
7
Pratt Institute
United States
8
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
=9
Design Academy Eindhoven
Netherlands
=9
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
United States
Art & design is another subject ranking which prominently features specialist institutions, with the Royal College of Art topping the table for yet another year.
What are the top universities for classics & ancient history?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for classics & ancient history
Rank
University
Location
1
Sapienza University of Rome
Italy
2
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
3
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
4
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Germany
5
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Germany
6
Scuola Normale Superiore
Italy
7
Sorbonne University
France
8
Harvard University
United States
9
Leiden University
Netherlands
10
Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
France
Whether it's the ancient Roman buildings or the ruins of Pompeii, you don't have to go far when in Italy to encounter a remnant of the country's rich history. Given this, Sapienza University of Rome's position at the top of the classics & ancient history ranking makes a lot of sense. Germany, France and the UK are also well-represented in the top 10.
What are the top universities for English language & literature?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for English language & literature
Rank
University
Location
1
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
2
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
3
Harvard University
United States
4
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
5
Yale University
United States
6
Stanford University
United States
7
Princeton University
United States
8
University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom
=9
Columbia University
United States
=9
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States
Oxford and Cambridge continue to lead the way in English language & literature, holding off the challenge from several top US universities to be ranked first and second respectively. Further down the ranking, both Canada and Australia are also represented in the top 20.
What are the top universities for history?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for history
Rank
University
Location
1
Harvard University
United States
=2
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
=2
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
4
Yale University
United States
=5
Stanford University
United States
=5
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
United Kingdom
7
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
8
Columbia University
United States
9
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States
10
Princeton University
United States
History is another subject ranking dominated by UK and US universities, with Harvard scoring just ahead of both Oxford and Cambridge which are tied in second place. American students or international students looking to study in the US have plenty of top universities to choose from.
What are the top universities for linguistics?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for linguistics
Rank
University
Location
1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
2
University of Massachusetts Amherst
United States
3
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
4
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
5
University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom
6
Harvard University
United States
7
Stanford University
United States
8
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
9
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States
=10
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore
=10
The University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong SAR
Our linguistics top 10 is actually a top 11 with two Asian universities tied in 10th place. At the very top of the ranking, Massachusetts is clearly the linguistics capital of the world with the top two universities for linguistics both based there.
What are the top universities for modern languages?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for modern languages
Rank
University
Location
1
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
2
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
3
Harvard University
United States
4
Stanford University
United States
5
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
6
Yale University
United States
7
The University of Tokyo
Japan
8
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States
9
Princeton University
United States
10
The University of Edinburgh
United Kingdom
The University of Tokyo is the one institution in our modern languages top 10 that isn't located in either the UK or the US. At the very top of the ranking, the University of Oxford just manages to outperform its rival the University of Cambridge.
What are the top universities for performing arts?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for performing arts
Rank
University
Location
1
Royal College of Music
United Kingdom
2
Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien
Austria
3
The Juilliard School
United States
4
Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris (CNSMDP)
France
5
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Formerly Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama)
United Kingdom
6
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
United Kingdom
7
Royal Academy of Music
United Kingdom
8
Norwegian Academy of Music
Norway
9
Curtis Institute of Music
United States
10
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Hong Kong SAR
While many of the world's prestigious universities excel in a wide range of subjects, it's clear that the best universities to study performing arts are specialist institutions. All of this year's top 10 offer specialised teaching in performing arts rather than covering a broader academic curriculum.
What are the top universities for philosophy?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for philosophy
Rank
University
Location
1
New York University (NYU)
United States
2
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
United States
3
The Australian National University
Australia
4
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
United Kingdom
5
University of Pittsburgh
United States
6
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
7
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
8
Harvard University
United States
9
King's College London
United Kingdom
10
University of Toronto
Canada
English-speaking study destinations dominate the philosophy ranking - as they have for several arts & humanities subjects. The Australian National University in Canberra becomes the first university from Australia to be mentioned in this rundown of top 10 universities.
As Head of Content, Craig is responsible for all articles and guides published across TopUniversities and TopMBA. He has nearly 10 years of experience writing for a student audience and extensive knowledge of universities and study programs around the world.
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Top universities for arts & humanities subjects 2022
By Craig O
Updated April 8, 2022 Updated April 8, 2022The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 reveal the top degree programmes in 51 different subjects across five broad subject areas.
11 of these subjects fall within the arts & humanities subject area, ranging from architecture to theology. Below is a look at the top-ranked universities for each of these 11 subjects, as well as for the overall arts & humanities subject ranking which assesses institutions at a faculty level.
What are the top universities for arts & humanities?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for arts & humanities
Unsurprisingly, the UK and US dominate the arts & humanities ranking with other English-speaking locations featuring in the top 20. Oxford take the bragging rights over their arch-rivals Cambridge at the top of the ranking, with the University of Edinburgh the only other UK representative.
What are the top universities for archaeology?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for archaeology
The Netherlands and Italy both get representation in the top 10 universities for archaeology but otherwise this is another top 10 dominated by the UK and the US.
What are the top universities for architecture & built environment?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for architecture & built environment
This year's architecture top 10 is extremely diverse, with seven different study destinations across three continents. This geographical spread should mean most students are able to find a top architecture programme near them, which may even be at a specialist institution like the Manchester School of Architecture.
What are the top universities for art & design?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for art & design
Art & design is another subject ranking which prominently features specialist institutions, with the Royal College of Art topping the table for yet another year.
What are the top universities for classics & ancient history?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for classics & ancient history
Whether it's the ancient Roman buildings or the ruins of Pompeii, you don't have to go far when in Italy to encounter a remnant of the country's rich history. Given this, Sapienza University of Rome's position at the top of the classics & ancient history ranking makes a lot of sense. Germany, France and the UK are also well-represented in the top 10.
What are the top universities for English language & literature?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for English language & literature
Oxford and Cambridge continue to lead the way in English language & literature, holding off the challenge from several top US universities to be ranked first and second respectively. Further down the ranking, both Canada and Australia are also represented in the top 20.
What are the top universities for history?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for history
History is another subject ranking dominated by UK and US universities, with Harvard scoring just ahead of both Oxford and Cambridge which are tied in second place. American students or international students looking to study in the US have plenty of top universities to choose from.
What are the top universities for linguistics?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for linguistics
Our linguistics top 10 is actually a top 11 with two Asian universities tied in 10th place. At the very top of the ranking, Massachusetts is clearly the linguistics capital of the world with the top two universities for linguistics both based there.
What are the top universities for modern languages?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for modern languages
The University of Tokyo is the one institution in our modern languages top 10 that isn't located in either the UK or the US. At the very top of the ranking, the University of Oxford just manages to outperform its rival the University of Cambridge.
What are the top universities for performing arts?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for performing arts
While many of the world's prestigious universities excel in a wide range of subjects, it's clear that the best universities to study performing arts are specialist institutions. All of this year's top 10 offer specialised teaching in performing arts rather than covering a broader academic curriculum.
What are the top universities for philosophy?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for philosophy
English-speaking study destinations dominate the philosophy ranking - as they have for several arts & humanities subjects. The Australian National University in Canberra becomes the first university from Australia to be mentioned in this rundown of top 10 universities.
This article was originally published in April 2022 .
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As Head of Content, Craig is responsible for all articles and guides published across TopUniversities and TopMBA. He has nearly 10 years of experience writing for a student audience and extensive knowledge of universities and study programs around the world.
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