UM makes top 50 global ranking for three subjects

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s oldest public university made the top 50 for three subjects in QS World Universities Rankings By Subject 2019, and also the top 100 for three broad areas and 17 other subjects, cementing the University of Malaya (UM) among the world’s leading higher learning centres.

The three (3) academic disciplines ranked within the Top 50 include Library and Information Management (31st rank), Development Studies (38th), and Electrical & Electronic Engineering (47th).

UM scored in 46 subjects out of 48 relevant subjects, of which 34 subjects were ranked. This overall score across the 46 subjects currently featured in the QS World University Rankings by Subjects.

“(This) puts UM as being a comprehensive university,” the university said in a statement yesterday.

For an institution to qualify for consideration in all 48 subjects was highly unusual, it added.

The subject areas achievements provide important and useful information on the performance of a university as 1,222 institutions have been ranked this year, UM said.

In the broad subject areas ranking, Engineering & Technology is the university’s strongest field and is ranked at 38 with an overall score of 84.5. This was followed by Social Sciences & Management with a rank of 55 and an overall score of 77.4.

But UM’s Academic and Employer Reputations indicators have dipped for some subjects, the university said in the statement. UM’s Citation per Paper and HIndex scores, however, continued to increase.

UM vice-chancellor Datuk Abdul Rahim Hashim also said the university’s Strategic Plan needs to be relooked, with needed improvement in teaching, learning and high quality academic programmes to prepare for automation.

Financially constrained, he said the university faces “enormous” challenges to move forward.