Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Ranking
Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is a UK-based educational consulting company specializing in analyzing global higher education universities. QS World University Ranking is an annually published record book on best ranking universities for a particular year. The QS ranking, previously known as Times Higher Education–QS World University Rankings, has gained significant popularity globally as one of the most reliable rankings in the world.
Along with the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of the World, the QS World University Rankings is one of the three globally significant rankings of the finest universities.
This ranking provides information on in-depth analysis of the leading institutions in their respective fields of study, helping prospective students to access the information. It helps the students and parents to identify the world’s highly recommended leading institutions across the globe. Every year, QS releases its annual top universities ranking, published by ‘topuniversities.com.’
The QS publication is divided into three sections: a global overall ranking, a subject-specific ranking that lists the top 51 universities worldwide in each of five composite faculty areas and 51 different subjects, and five independent regional tables covering Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Arab Region, and the BRICS.
Here is the methodology behind the QS world ranking for the top Sociology University for 2022.
Methodology
QS ranking process employed six main criteria to effectively capture the A-listed universities, such as those given below.
1 . Academic reputation
Academic reputation holds 40% of the overall ranking score. Every year, QS conducts an academic survey, the largest of its kind. It is to access the teaching and research quality in the higher university by asking the active academic peer groups of over 130,000 individuals.
QS ranking considers which university has excellent performance and uses their opinion to rank the university in terms of its excellence in academics and research. Each participant ensures to nominate the top ten best universities; according to them, it has a high-quality educational environment in their respective countries. However, they are not permitted to list their own institutions.
The ranking process includes attending international conferences and collaborating with other academics to review the peer work from different institutions. Through the questionnaire, academics are placed to suggest the most competent and effective graduates.
2 . Employer Reputation
Employer reputation accounted for 10% of the survey score, bringing the issue of employability.
QS conduct research by asking thousands of employers how good a university is according to their experience and which university supplies the best competent graduate into their workplace.
Employer reputation survey provides the desired information for students in which universities can produce the most productive, highly skilled, and creative graduates. How well-groomed are students for their success in the job market? The employers must nominate ten institutions from their respective countries and up to 30 international ones which they consider best for producing compelling and innovative graduates.
3 . Faculty / Student Ratio
This indicator accounted for 20% of the final score; QS University’s ranking believes that the high number of academic staff provides a supportive and better student experience, reducing the teaching burden. The ranking looks at the student-faculty ratio and access to how the universities provide meaningful lectures and mentorship among students.
4 . Citations per Faculty
This indicator registers 20% of the overall ranking mark. The ranking measures how much the university produces research with citations per faculty metric. QS ranking process looks at the list of the published paper by the faculty members and counts how many times other academic works have cited the articles during five years.
5. The international student ratio
It contributes 5% to the final mark. The QS ranking measures the ratio between the total number of international students to the overall number of students in the institution. QS stands that quality institutions can attract high-quality students across the globe and build up a good reputation for the institution. This internationalism creates opportunities for exchanging suitable beneficial multinational environments and develops global awareness among the students. Collaborating among a diverse population from different cultural backgrounds enriches students’ experiences and provides new possibilities for their future.
6 . The international faculty ratio
It accounts for the remaining 5% of the total ranking score. Similar to the student ratio, the international faculty ratio ranking measures the ratio between the international academics and the overall number of academic staff in the faculty. This particular parameter focuses on whether the university has developed its internationalization strategies or whether it put its effort into being the destination for international students.
In such a way, the QS world university ranking looks at the research reputation, research impact, and teaching-learning quality of the institution with these methodologies, specially designed for a globally relevant and accessible to a large number of people.
Top Ten Ranked Sociology Universities Worldwide
| RANK | UNIVERSITY | SCORE |
| 1 | Harvard University (United States) | 99.8 |
| 2 | University of Oxford (United Kingdom) | 96.5 |
| 3 | The London School of Economics and Political Science (United Kingdom) | 94.9 |
| 4 | Standford University United States | 94.6 |
| 5 | University of California, Berkeley (United States) | 94.4 |
| 6 | University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) | 92.8 |
| 7 | University of Amsterdam (Netherlands) | 90.2 |
| 8 | The University of Chicago (United States) | 90 |
| 9 | University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, (United States) | 89.1 |
| 10 | Columbia University New York City, (United States) | 89 |
Continent-Wise Top Sociology Universities
North America
| RANK | UNIVERSITY | SCORE |
| 1 | Harvard University | 99.8 |
| 2 | Standford University | 94.6 |
| 3 | University of California, Berkeley | 94.4 |
| 4 | University of Chicago | 90 |
| 5 | University of California, Los Angeles | 89.1 |
Latin America
| RANK | UNIVERSITY | SCORE |
| 1 | Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México | 80.8 |
| 2 | University of Buenos Aires | 78.3 |
| 3 | Universidade de São Paulo | 75.6 |
| 4 | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile | 72.9 |
| 5 | Universidad de Chile | 71.4 |
Europe
| RANK | UNIVERSITY | SCORE |
| 1 | University of Oxford | 95.6 |
| 2 | The London School of Economics and Political Science | 94.9 |
| 3 | University of Cambridge | 92.8 |
| 4 | University of Amsterdam | 90.2 |
| 5 | UCL | 84.3 |
Asia
| RANK | UNIVERSITY | SCORE |
| 1 | National University of Singapore | 89 |
| 2 | Peking University Beijing, China | 81.7 |
| 3 | The University of Tokyo Japan | 80.6 |
| 4 | Seoul National University | 79.3 |
| 5 | The University of Hong Kong | 78.3 |
Africa
| RANK | UNIVERSITY |
| 1 | University of Cape Town |
| 2 | University of the Witwatersrand |
Oceania
| RANK | UNIVERSITY | SCORE |
| 1 | The Australian National University | 87.7 |
| 2 | University of Melbourne | 84 |
| 3 | The University of Sydney | 79.5 |
| 4 | The University of Queensland | 76.7 |
| 5 | Monash University Clayton Campus | 75.9 |
