By McGill Reporter staff
McGill ranks among the world’s best universities in a broad range of subjects, topped by a ninth-place showing in Linguistics, according to the 2011 QS World University Rankings.
The stellar performance in Linguistics reflects the remarkable number of distinguished scholars whose careers were launched at McGill’s Department of Linguistics, and who have helped shape the field. The focus of research and teaching at McGill is on theoretical and experimental linguistics, with special emphasis on the understanding of language diversity and how this diversity may be related to a universal underlying linguistic competence.
Other individual Departments that placed among the top dozen in their categories were Psychology (10th) and English (12th).
Also of particular note, the Faculty of Law placed 12th among the world’s law schools. The Faculty, which was ranked by QS as No. 1 in Canada, is unique in that students study in both French and English, and earn both common and civil law degrees in a comparative and integrated program of legal studies.
The Faculty of Medicine figured among the world’s most outstanding medical schools, placing 13th in its category.
Several other McGill departments placed in the top 20 in their subject categories. The QS rankings are based on a combination of academic reputation, employer reputation and citations by academics.
“It’s gratifying to see how highly McGill is regarded across a broad spectrum of academic fields, from the humanities and social sciences to law, medicine, engineering and the natural sciences,” said Christopher Manfredi, Dean of the Faculty of Arts. “These strengths, along with our emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches, make for an exceptionally rich and rewarding academic environment for our students and professors, alike.”