Saudi Institutions Lead in Shanghai List of Engineering Programmes

Two Saudi universities did best among institutions in the Arab world included in the latest classification of engineering programmes by the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy.

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and King Abdulaziz University each had eight programmes among the top 100 worldwide in the 22 engineering subjects ranked. Egyptian universities were the region’s next most successful.

Institutions in the Arab region also fared well in the rankings of medical science programmes, led by the American University of Beirut’s top-100 placing in nursing.

Engineering and medical sciences are just two of the five subject areas included the ShanghaiRanking Consultancy’s annual Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. The others are life sciences, natural sciences, and social sciences.

The consultancy is best known for its Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the Shanghai Ranking, which is one of the most prominent of more than 20 global rankings of universities published each year. Others include the QS World University Rankings and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

The 2022 edition of ShanghaiRanking’s academic subject rankings, published July 19, evaluated programmes in a total of 54 subjects at more than 1,800 universities worldwide. The engineering and medical sciences listings include 197 programmes at 49 universities in 12 Arab countries.

The rankings’ methodology uses a range of academic indicators and third-party data to measure programmes’ performance. The indicators include research output, research influence, international collaboration, research quality, and international academic awards. Some of those metrics are based on survey in which more than 1,000 professors participated.

Following are details on how institutions in the Arab region fared in individual subject areas of engineering and medical sciences.

Engineering Disciplines

The 2022 listings include 129 engineering programmes at 31 universities in nine Arab countries.

Energy Science and Engineering

The best ranking for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) was in Energy Science and Engineering, where it placed 15th among the 400 institutions ranked. King Abdulaziz University was in a group ranked 51-75, followed by Egypt’s Tanta University, in the 151-200 group.

The next group (201-300) included seven Arab universities: Qatar’s Hamad bin Khalifa University and Qatar University; Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), King Saud University, and Prince Mohammad bin Fahd University; and the United Arab Emirates’ Khalifa University and University of Sharjah.

Six Egyptian and Saudi universities were in a band ranked 301-400 band: Ain Shams University, Assiut University, Benha University, Cairo University, Zagazig University, and King Khalid University.

Instruments Science and Technology

King Abdulaziz University’s best ranking was in the field of Instruments Science and Technology, where it placed 27th out of 300 institutions ranked. Qatar University and King Saud University were also among the top 100 programmes in this subject, both in a group ranked 51-75.

Texas A&M University at Qatar ranked 101-150 and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) ranked 151-200. Cairo University, KAUST, and Khalifa University all ranked 201-300.

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Only Saudi universities ranked in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in 24th place out of 400 institutions ranked.

King Abdulaziz University was in the 101-150 group and King Saud University was among those ranked 301-400.

Materials Science

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) also excelled in Materials Science and Engineering, where it placed 29th out of 500 institutions ranked worldwide. King Abdulaziz University was the next best performing Arab institution in this category, in the 101-150 group.

Three universities ranked 201-300: Qatar University, KFUPM, and King Saud University.

The 301-400 group included Algeria’s College of Literature (Université Djillali Liabes Sidi-Bel-Abbès), Saudi Arabia’s Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University, and the University of Tabuk. Hamad bin Khalifa University and Khalifa University were in the 401-500 group.

Mechanical Engineering

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in 35th place, and King Abdulaziz University, in 39th place, were also the highest ranked Arab institutions among the 400 Mechanical Engineering programmes ranked.

King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) came next, in the 101-150 group, followed by Qatar University (151-200).

Three universities were in the 201-300 group: Algeria’s Université Djillali Liabès de Sidi-Bel-Abbès, Egypt’s Zagazig University, and Khalifa University. King Saud University was in the 301-400 group.

Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Of 500 universities ranked in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 16 Arab institutions were listed, led by King Abdulaziz University and KAUST, both ranked 51-75. Two universities were in the 101-150 band: Qatar University and Texas A&M University at Qatar.

King Saud University and the American University of Beirut ranked 201-300.

The 301-400 group included Assuit University, Minya University, Zagazig University, Hamad bin Khalifa University, and Khalifa University.

The last group (401-500) included Aswan University, Mansoura University, Menofia University, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, and Prince Sultan University.

Telecommunication Engineering

Three universities were among the top 100 in Telecommunication Engineering: KAUST (46), Qatar University (51-75), and Hamad bin Khalifa University (76-100).

King Abdulaziz University and King Saud University ranked 101-150, followed by Texas A&M University at Qatar, ranked 151-200.

Four universities ranked 201-300: Mansoura University, the American University of Beirut, KFUPM, and Khalifa University.

Computer Science and Engineering

In Computer Science and Engineering, two Saudi universities made it to the top 100: King Abdulaziz University (51-75) and King Saud University (76-100). KAUST and Texas A&M University at Qatar both ranked 101-150. Two Qatari institutions were in the 151-200 group: Hamad bin Khalifa University and Qatar University.

Zagazig University and the University of Jordan ranked 201-300, followed by four universities in the 301-400 group: Mansoura University, Menofia University, KFUPM, and Khalifa University. Cairo University and Prince Sultan University ranked 401-500.

Biomedical Engineering; Biotechnology; Chemical Engineering

In Biomedical Engineering, only two Saudi universities ranked: King Abdulaziz University (50) and King Saud University (201-300).

Egypt and Saudi Arabia had six universities among the best in Biotechnology, led by KAUST (76-100) and King Abdulaziz University (101-150). King Saud University ranked in the 301-400 group, followed by Alexandria University, Cairo University, and Zagazig University, all ranked 401-500.

Two Saudi universities were in the top 100 in Chemical Engineering: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, in 34th place, and King Abdulaziz University, in the 51-75 group. They were followed by Khalifa University (101-150) and KFUPM (151-200). Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar University, and King Saud University ranked 201-300, while Texas A&M University at Qatar ranked 301-400.

The group 401-500 included Cairo University, Tanta University, Iraq’s University of Baghdad, and Oman’s Sultan Qaboos University.

Environment; Water; Food

King Abdulaziz University made the top 100 in Environmental Science and Engineering, getting into the 76-100 group. The other three ranked Arab universities were KAUST (101-150), King Saud University (201-300), and Qatar University (401-500).

Out of 200 ranked universities in Water Resources, KAUST was the only Arab institution listed, ranking 51-75.

Three Arab universities ranked in Food Science and Technology: King Abdulaziz University (42), King Saud University (101-150), and Cairo University (151-200).

Civil Engineering; Transportation

Out of 300 institutions ranked in Civil Engineering, eight were in the Arab world, including three in the top 150: Algeria’s College of Literature (Université Djillali Liabes Sidi-Bel-Abbès), King Abdulaziz University, and KFUPM, all ranked 101-150.

Qatar University came next in the 151-200 group, followed by Ain Shams University, Cairo University, Zagazig University, and King Saud University, all ranked 201-300.

In Transportation Science and Technology, Qatar University and King Abdulaziz University were in the 76-100 group, while KAUST ranked 101-150.

Automation and Control; Metallurgical Engineering

Three Gulf universities were ranked in Automation and Control, out of 200: Texas A&M University at Qatar (76-100), King Abdulaziz University (101-150), and Qatar University (151-200).

Two Saudi universities ranked among the top 200 in Metallurgical Engineering: King Abdulaziz University (76-100) and King Saud University (101-150).  

Other Categories

No Arab universities ranked in Aerospace Engineering, Marine-Ocean Engineering, Remote Sensing, and Mining and Mineral Engineering.

Medical Sciences

The 2022 listings include 68 medical science programmes at 33 universities in ten Arab countries.

Nursing

In the medical science listings, Nursing was the only field that included a university in the Arab region among the top 100. That was the American University of Beirut, in the 76-100 group.

The University of Jordan and Oman’s Sultan Qaboos University both ranked 151-200. King Saud University and three Jordanian institutions (Al al-Bayt University, the Hashemite University, and Jordan University of Science and Technology) came next, ranking 201-300.

Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences

In Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 22 Arab universities, 13 of which are Egyptian, made it to this year’s ranking. The top performers were King Abdulaziz University and King Saud University, ranking 101-150, followed by Cairo University (151-200).

The next group (201-300) included Ain Shams University, Al-Azhar University, Alexandria University, Beni Suef University, Kafrelsheikh University, Mansoura University, and Saudi Arabia’s Al Jouf University.

Egypt’s Minia and Zagazig Universities ranked 301-400, followed by ten universities in the 401-500 band: Assiut University, Helwan University, Misr University of Science and Technology, Suez Canal University, the American University of Beirut, Qatar University, King Faisal University, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, University of Tabuk, and the United Arab Emirates University.

Clinical Medicine

Of the 500 institutions ranked in Clinical Medicine, 15 universities in the Arab region were listed. The American University of Beirut and the Jordan University of Science and Technology were in the 151-200 group.

Three Arab universities came in the 201-300 group: Egypt’s Mansoura University, Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates University. Four Arab universities ranked 301-400: Egypt’s Ain Shams University, Cairo University, Kuwait University, and Saudi Arabia’s King Saud University.

Six Arab universities were in the 401-500 group: Egypt’s Alexandria University, Morocco’s Mohammed V University, Qatar University, Saudi Arabia’s KingAbdulaziz University, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, and Tunisia’s Tunis El Manar University.

Public Health

Thirteen Arab higher education institutions were among the 500 universities ranked in Public Health. Cairo University and Weill Cornell Medicine–Qatar were in a group ranked 101-150. The Jordan University of Science and Technology was in the next group (151-200), followed by Ain Shams University, Mansoura University, the American University of Beirut, King Abdulaziz University, King Saud University, and Tunis El Manar University, all ranked 201-300.

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Kuwait University ranked 301-400, while the last group (401-500) included Alexandria University, Qatar University, and King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences.

Dentistry; Medical Technology

Only seven Arab universities, five of which were in Saudi Arabia, ranked in Dentistry and Oral Sciences. King Saud University did best, getting into the 101-150 group. In the 201-300 group were Cairo University, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, King Abdulaziz University, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, and Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.

Five Arab universities were among the 400 ranked institutions in Medical Technology. They were Ain Shams University, Alexandria University, Cairo University, Mansoura University, and King Saud University, all in the 301-400 group.

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