Taiwan’s higher education system saw a net drop of 20 percent in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject released yesterday.
Taiwan contributed 299 entries from 30 universities, including 257 individual subjects and 42 broad faculty areas.
Of these, 58 subjects rose, 119 fell, and 88 remained unchanged, resulting in a 20 percent decline.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Among Asian countries, South Korea saw the steepest decline at 38 percent, followed by Hong Kong at 29 percent and China at 21 percent.
National Taiwan University (NTU) led Taiwan’s performance, with 39 subjects in the global top 100.
NTU rose to sixth in classics and ancient history, up from 19th last year, securing Taiwan’s only top-10 global placement.
QS ranks 55 academic disciplines and five broad faculty areas: natural sciences, engineering and technology, arts and humanities, social sciences and management, and life sciences and medicine.
NTU led Taiwan in the broad areas, ranking in the global top 100 in all five.
It was 60th globally in natural sciences — up three places from last year; 63rd in engineering and technology (up 19), and arts and humanities (up seven); 67th in social sciences and management (up six); and 83rd in life sciences and medicine (down three).
National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism climbed from 45th to 23rd globally in hospitality and leisure management, the largest jump for a narrow subject.
QS senior vice president Ben Sowter said that Taiwan’s top-tier performances remained strong despite declining overall.
He attributed the results to structural pressures, including a demographic decline affecting university enrollment in Taiwan.
With the nation’s growing national investment in artificial intelligence and advanced technology, the international visibility of Taiwanese universities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields is expected to surge, Sowter said.
This year’s QS World University Rankings by Subject covered more than 21,000 academic offerings from 1,900 institutions across 100 countries, a statement released by the ranking service said.
The rankings use five indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, research citations per paper, H-index — which measures total citations — and international research network, its Web site says.
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