Rankings of Life Sciences and Medical Programmes in the Arab Region

Arab universities’ programmes in the medical and life sciences fared well in the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Fifty-two universities in the Arab region are featured in the comparisons of programmes by subject this year. The subject listings are part of the QS World University Rankings portfolio published each year by QS Quacquarelli Symonds, a British higher-education analytics company.

This year’s subject listings analyse the performance of 15,200 individual academic programmes in 51 subjects at more than 1,500 universities around the world. The subjects ranked include 324 programmes in the Arab region. Of those, 71 programmes are in the medical and life sciences.

Following is a synopsis of how Arab universities fared in the broad faculty area of life sciences and medicine, as well as within individual disciplines such as medicine, dentistry, and agriculture and forestry.

Life Sciences and Medicine 

Twelve Arab universities are among the 500 universities worldwide ranked for their programmes in life sciences and medicine over all. They include four Egyptian universities, three in Saudi Arabia, two in Jordan, and one each in Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

While no Arab university made it to the top 100 list, three were ranked in the top 200 universities in life sciences and medicine: King Abdulaziz University (109th) and King Saud University (171th), in Saudi Arabia; and Cairo University (178th).

Four Arab universities ranked in the top 400 for life sciences and medicine. They are the American University of Beirut (268th); Ain Shams University (335th) and Alexandria University (375th), both in Egypt; and the United Arab Emirates University (394th).

Three universities—Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Egypt’s Mansoura University and Qatar University—were in a group ranked 401 to 450, while Jordan had two universities in the 451-to-500 group, namely Jordan University of Science and Technology and the University of Jordan.

Medicine 

A total of 670 medicine programmes were ranked this year, including 27 in the Arab region. They included nine Egyptian universities, seven in Saudi Arabia, three in Lebanon, two each in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Iraq, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.

Only one Arab University was among the world’s top 150 for programmes in medicine: King Abdulaziz University, ranked 126th.

The American University of Beirut was in a block ranked 151-200, while Cairo University and King Saud University were in the next group, ranking 201-250.

Ain Shams University, Qatar University, and the United Arab Emirates University, ranking 301-350, while Alexandria University, Mansoura University, and Jordan University of Science and Technology ranked 351-400.

Saudi Arabia’s King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences was in a block of universities ranked 401 to 450. Egypt’s Assiut University, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Kuwait University, the Lebanese University, and the University of Jordan were in the next group, ranked 451-500.

In the 551-600 group were Egypt’s Al-Azhar University, Saudi Arabia’s Alfaisal University and Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, and Oman’s Sultan Qaboos University.

Six universities were in the block ranked 601-650: Saint Joseph University of Beirut, the University of Baghdad, Saudi Arabia’s Umm Al-Qura University, and three Egyptian institutions: Suez Canal University, Tanta University, and Zagazig University. The University of Sharjah was in the last group, ranking 651-670.

Anatomy and Physiology 

Of the 140 anatomy and physiology programmes ranked this year, only one was at an Arab university. That was King Saud University, ranking 101-140.

Dentistry 

Of the 70 dentistry programmes ranked this year, only two were at Arab universities. They included King Saud University (43th) and Cairo University (51st-70th).

Pharmacy and Pharmacology 

Out of 372 pharmacy and pharmacology programmes ranked worldwide, three at Arab universities were among the top 100: King Abdulaziz University (37th), Cairo University (81st),  and King Saud University (83rd).

In a group ranked 151-200 were Ain Shams University, Alexandria University, and the University of Jordan. Qatar University ranked 201-250.

The next group, ranked 251-300, included Mansoura University, Jordan University of Science and Technology, the American University of Beirut, and the Lebanese University.

Three Arab universities ranked 301-350 in this subject: Assiut University, Umm Al-Qura University, and the United Arab Emirates University. Egypt’s Beni Suef University ranked 351-360.

Biological Sciences

A total of 640 biological sciences programmes were ranked this year. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz University and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology made it to the top 200 list, ranking 151-200.

Cairo University and King Saud University came in the group ranked 251-300, followed by Ain Shams University and the United Arab Emirates University both ranked 351-400.

The American University of Beirut and Qatar University ranked 401-450. Two Egyptian universities followed: Alexandria University (451-500) and Mansoura University (501-550).

Nursing; Psychology; Veterinary Science

The listings compare some 170 programmes in nursing, and four Arab universities had ranked programmes: King Abdulaziz University and the University of Jordan ranked 101-150, while the American University of Beirut and Sultan Qaboos University ranked 151-170.

Of the 320 psychology programmes ranked this year, only one was at an Arab university. That was King Abdulaziz University, ranking 201-250, up from 251-300 last year.

No Arab universities’ programmes in veterinary science were ranked.

Agriculture and Forestry  

Eleven Arab programmes in agriculture and forestry ranked among the top 410 this year, including two Saudi universities: King Abdulaziz University and King Saud University, both ranked 101-150, followed by Cairo University (151st-200th).

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In the next group (201-250) were Ain Shams University, Alexandria University, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), while Egypt’s Mansoura University ranked 251-300.

Egypt’s Assiut University ranked 301-350, while three other universities ranked 352-400: Sultan Qaboos University, the United Arab Emirates University, and Egypt’s Zagazig University.

Related Reading 

• Best-Ranked Engineering and Technology Programmes in the Arab Region
• Arab Universities Advance in QS Rankings by Subject
• University Rankings: A Look at How Some of the Major Listings Work
• Al-Fanar Media and QS University Rankings Announce a Media Partnership Serving Arab Universities and Students