The University of Otago may not be Harvard or Oxford, but Dunedin-trained dentists can rest assured that their degree is among the highest quality in the world after earning 12th place in the world university rankings.
Last week the sixth edition of QS World University Rankings by subject was released on TopUniversities.com. The list complies every subject and ranks the quality of each university based on the expert opinion of 76,798 academics and 44,426 employers.
The University of Otago placed 27 subjects within the top universities in the world, including 13 subjects placing in the top 100 Universities. Otago ranked highly in Archaeology, Anthropology, Business & Management Studies, Dentistry, Development Studies, Earth & Marine Sciences, Education, English Language & Literature, Geography, History, Law, Performing Arts, and Psychology.
Otago University’s Bachelor of Dental Surgery ranked 12th on the list, earning an overall score of 81.3, just two points below Harvard University’s dentistry score of 83.1. The top scoring dentistry programme was attributed to The University of Hong Kong.
In response Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Vernon Squire said he was “pleased” with Otago’s performance, specifically the attainment of a QS five-star rating.
“Our solid performance in these rankings follows the University last month being awarded the highest possible international quality rating of five stars plus from QS Stars rating system,” says Professor Squire.
The five star plus rating is awarded to universities described by QS as “an institution (that) is not just world-class, but an elite destination to which the very best students and faculty worldwide will aspire. Its brand name will transform the résumé of anyone connected with it”.
Other New Zealand tertiary institutions also achieved highly with the University of Auckland placing 38 subjects within the QS ranking, as well as being awarded the 20th place in Archaeology amongst other universities.