The world's top universities by subject

Where are the best places to study maths and English? League tables published today reveal that UK universities lead the way in eight subjects.

Harvard topped the tables in 12 different subjects

Universities in the UK are leading the way in maths, English, history and art, according to annual rankings.

Following analysis of subject strength at world institutions, major global league tables have revealed that UK universities provide the best courses in eight of the 42 subjects analysed.

Four universities feature in the top placed rankings, including the University of Oxford, which leads in four subjects, and the University of Cambridge, which leads three.

However, the rankings were dominated by US universities, with Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) topping the tables in 24 subjects between them.

Wageningen, Netherlands

Published by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), researchers garnered the opinions of 76,798 academics and 44,426 employers to inform the results, alongside the analysis of 28.5 million research papers.

Top world universities by subject

1. Accounting and Finance: Harvard, US
2. Agriculture and Forestry: Wageningen University, Netherlands
3. Anthropology: Harvard, US
4. Archaeology: University of Cambridge, UK
5. Architecture/Built Environment: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US
6. Art and Design: Royal College of Art, UK
7. Biological Sciences: Harvard, US
8. Business and Management: Harvard, US
9. Chemistry: MIT, US
10. Communication and Media Studies: University of Southern California, US
11. Computer Science: MIT, US
12. Dentistry: University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
13. Development Studies: Harvard, US
14. Earth and Marine Sciences: ETH Zurich, Switzerland
15. Economics and Econometrics: MIT, US
16. Education: UCL Institute of Education, UK
17. Engineering – Chemical: MIT, US
18. Engineering – Civil and Structural: MIT, US
19. Engineering – Electrical & Electronic: MIT, US
20. Engineering – Mechanical: MIT, US
21. Engineering – Mining and Mineral: Colorado School of Mines, US
22. English Language and Literature: University of Oxford, UK
23. Environmental Sciences: University of California, Berkeley, US
24. Geography: University of Oxford, UK
25. History: Universities of Oxford & Cambridge, UK
26. Law: Harvard, US
27. Linguistics: MIT, US
28. Materials Science: MIT, US
29. Mathematics: University of Cambridge, UK
30. Medicine: Harvard, US
31. Modern Languages: University of Oxford, UK
32. Nursing: University of Pennsylvania, US
33. Performing Arts: Juilliard, US
34. Pharmacy and Pharmacology: Harvard, US
35. Philosophy: University of Pittsburgh, US
36. Physics and Astronomy: MIT, US
37. Politics and International Studies: Harvard, US
38. Psychology: Harvard, US
39. Social Policy and Administration: Harvard, US
40. Sociology: Harvard, US
41. Statistics and Operational Research: MIT, US
42. Veterinary Science: University of California, Davis, US