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Top universities for natural sciences subjects 2022
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Top universities for natural sciences subjects 2022
By Craig OCallaghan
Updated November 17, 2022 Updated November 17, 2022The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022 reveal the top degree programmes in 51 different subjects across five broad subject areas.
Nine of these subjects fall within the natural sciences subject area, covering a range of degrees from chemistry to mathematics. Below is a look at the top-ranked universities for each of these nine subjects, as well as for the overall natural sciences ranking which assesses institutions at a faculty level.
What are the top universities for natural sciences?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for natural sciences
Rank
University
Location
1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
2
Harvard University
United States
3
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
4
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
5
Stanford University
United States
6
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
7
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
United States
8
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
9
Imperial College London
United Kingdom
10
The University of Tokyo
Japan
At a broader faculty level, universities from the US and UK dominate with MIT ranked in first place. The University of Tokyo is the one Asian representative in the top 10, with two more institutions from that region just outside the top 10.
What are the top universities for chemistry?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for chemistry
Rank
University
Location
1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
2
Harvard University
United States
3
Stanford University
United States
4
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
5
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
6
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
7
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)
Singapore
8
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore
9
EPFL
Switzerland
=10
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
United States
=10
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
Based in Singapore, NUS and NTU both narrowly miss out on a place in the overall natural sciences top 10 but are the top Asian universities for chemistry. EPFL joins fellow Swiss institution ETH Zurich in a top 10 which is once again led by MIT.
What are the top universities for earth and marine sciences?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for earth and marine sciences
Rank
University
Location
1
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
2
Harvard University
United States
3
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
4
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
5
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
6
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
United States
7
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
8
Stanford University
United States
9
Columbia University
United States
10
University of Washington
United States
The earth and marine sciences subject ranking is led by ETH Zurich, the sole university outside of the UK and US to place in the top 10. It scored particularly well for academic reputation, ranked in first ahead of MIT and the University of Cambridge.
What are the top universities for environmental sciences?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for environmental sciences
Rank
University
Location
=1
Harvard University
United States
=1
Stanford University
United States
3
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
4
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
5
Wageningen University & Research
Netherlands
=6
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
=6
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
8
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
9
Tsinghua University
Mainland China
10
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore
Nothing separates the top two universities for environmental sciences this year with Harvard University and Stanford University sharing first place. While Harvard enjoys a better employer reputation according to our global employer survey, Stanford ranks higher than Harvard for its reputation among academics. The two UK universities in the top 10 - Cambridge and Oxford - also share a rank in joint 6th place.
What are the top universities for geography?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for geography
Rank
University
Location
1
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
2
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
United Kingdom
3
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
4
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
5
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore
6
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States
7
Australian National University (ANU)
Australia
8
University of British Columbia
Canada
9
UCL
United Kingdom
10
University of Hong Kong
Hong Kong SAR
The UK is clearly the best place to study geography in the world with the top three universities for the subject all based there. LSE split the two Oxbridge institutions to take second place, while UCL in ninth place offer additional representation for the UK capital city in the top 10.
What are the top universities for geology?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for geology
Rank
University
Location
1
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
2
Harvard University
United States
3
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
United States
4
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
5
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
6
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
7
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
8
Columbia University
United States
9
University of Washington
United States
10
Stanford University
United States
Seven of the top 10 universities for geology are based in the United States stretching from east coast to west. While US universities continue to dominate further down the table, the top 20 also features universities from Japan, Australia and France.
What are the top universities for geophysics?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for geophysics
Rank
University
Location
1
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
2
Harvard University
United States
3
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
United States
4
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
5
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
6
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
7
Columbia University
United States
8
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
9
University of Washington
United States
10
Stanford University
United States
The top 10 universities for geophysics is almost identical to the top 10 table for geology save for two small changes, both to UK universities. The University of Cambridge is one place lower in the geophysics table, beneath UCB, while the University of Oxford has also dropped one place by comparison and is now ranked beneath Columbia University.
What are the top universities for materials sciences?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for materials sciences
Rank
University
Location
1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
2
Stanford University
United States
3
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU)
Singapore
=4
Harvard University
United States
=4
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
6
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
7
National University of Singapore (NUS)
Singapore
8
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
9
Georgia Institute of Technology
United States
=10
EPFL
Switzerland
=10
Tsinghua University
Mainland China
Two Singaporean universities feature in the top 10 universities for materials sciences this year, with Tsinghua University another Asian representative in the top 10 (technically a top 11 given the tie for 10th place).
What are the top universities for mathematics?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for mathematics
Rank
University
Location
1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
2
Stanford University
United States
3
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
4
Harvard University
United States
5
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
6
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
7
Princeton University
United States
8
New York University (NYU)
United States
9
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
10
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
United States
Save for ETH Zurich, the top 10 universities for mathematics in 2022 is another list dominated by UK and US institutions with MIT leading the way. If you're looking for an alternative study destination to either of these locations, there are four French universities in the top 20 with Université PSL the highest-ranked.
What are the top universities for physics and astronomy?
QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022: Top universities for physics and astronomy
Rank
University
Location
1
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
United States
2
Harvard University
United States
3
Stanford University
United States
4
University of Cambridge
United Kingdom
5
University of Oxford
United Kingdom
6
University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
United States
7
California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
United States
8
Princeton University
United States
9
ETH Zurich
Switzerland
10
University of Tokyo
Japan
The final subject in our natural sciences subject area is physics and astronomy and it's another subject where MIT has been ranked as the best institution in the world. Five other US universities are in the top 10 alongside MIT, with the University of Tokyo the sole Asian representative in the top 10.
This article was originally published in November 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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