Times Higher Education's (THE) subject ratings are undoubtedly of great importance in today's global education landscape. It not only provides an important reference for students to choose schools and majors, but also provides a direction for educational institutions to improve and optimize themselves.
Times Higher Education's subject rating criteria are not one-sided, but take into account teaching, research, international collaboration and knowledge transfer. This comprehensive assessment method can more comprehensively and accurately reflect the true level of a school in a certain subject area.
In terms of teaching, the evaluation mainly focuses on the quality of teaching, student satisfaction and the employment of graduates, while in terms of research, it focuses on the research results of the university, the influence of academic papers and the investment of research funds. At the same time, international cooperation and knowledge transfer are also important criteria for the rating, which reflects the university's global influence and contribution.
The value of the Times Higher Education subject ratings lies not only in providing an objective ranking, but also in the fact that they contribute to the improvement of the quality of education around the world. In order to obtain a higher rating, the university will continue to improve teaching conditions, increase investment in scientific research, and strengthen international cooperation, so as to provide students with better educational resources. At the same time, this rating also provides a reference for employers to select talents, which helps them to more accurately identify talents with potential and strength.
The criteria and values of the Times Higher Education subject ratings are mutually reinforcing. It not only provides a motivation for schools to improve themselves, but also makes a positive contribution to the improvement of the quality of education worldwide. In the future, we look forward to THE's continued efforts to improve its rating system and inject more vitality into the global education sector.
1. The 2024 Times Higher Education China University Rankings by Subject Ranking A 985 university rankings
Recently, the Times Higher Education China University Rankings by Subject 2024 A University Rankings was released. There are 30 domestic universities and 985 engineering universities on the list. Among them, Zhejiang University has the largest number of A+ disciplines, with a total of 72, ranking first among universities in the country. Tsinghua University ranked second with a total of 49 universities, ranking second among universities in the country. Peking University has a total of 43 universities, ranking third in the country.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University has a total of 42 A+ disciplines, ranking fourth among universities in China. Nanjing University has a total of 30 A+ disciplines, ranking fifth among universities in China. The University of Science and Technology of China has a total of 29 A+ students, ranking sixth.
Fudan University has a total of 27, ranking seventh. Wuhan University has a total of 25, ranking eighth. Huazhong University of Science and Technology has a total of 23, ranking ninth. Sun Yat-sen University has a total of 22, ranking tenth.
2. The status of "double non-non" universities in the Times Higher Education China University Rankings by Subject 2024
However, netizens and parents are also concerned about the number of Class A disciplines and their rankings in "double non" universities or "four non" universities. From the perspective of A+ disciplines, Southern University of Science and Technology has the most, with a total of 5, and other "double non" or "four non" universities have no A+ disciplines.
Shenzhen University has a total of 13 A-class disciplines and 6 A-class disciplines, ranking second among "double non-non" universities. Jiangsu University has 1 A-class discipline and 13 A-class disciplines, ranking third among "double non-resident" universities.
Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology and Qingdao University both have 1 A-class discipline and 5 A-class disciplines, ranking tied for the fourth place in the "double non-non" universities. Guangdong University of Technology has a total of 0 A-class disciplines and 6 A-class disciplines, ranking tied for the fourth place in the "double non-non" universities.
Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University has a total of 2 A-level disciplines and 3 A--class subjects, ranking seventh among "double non-foreign" universities. Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University has a total of 1 A-class discipline and 4 A-class disciplines, and it also ranks seventh among the "double non-non" universities. Zhejiang Normal University has a total of 0 A-class disciplines and 5 A-class disciplines, ranking tied for seventh among "double non-non" universities.
Guangzhou University and Nanjing Forestry University both have 4 A-class disciplines, ranking tied for the tenth place among the "double non-foreign" universities. Nanjing Medical University has a total of 0 A-class disciplines and 3 A-class disciplines, ranking 12th among "double non-" universities.
Southern Medical University, Shantou University, and Changsha University of Science and Technology all have 2 A-class disciplines, ranking 13th among "double non-non" universities. Wenzhou University and Chengdu University both have one A-class discipline, ranking 16th among the "double non-non" universities. A total of 19 "double non" universities are on the list.
3. Comparative analysis of the Times Higher Education China University Rankings by Subject Category A 2024 and the fifth round of subject assessments
In the fifth round of national discipline evaluation, Jiangsu University has 1 A-class discipline and 1 A-class discipline. Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology has 1 A+ subject. Xiangtan University has 1 A-class discipline and 1 A-class discipline. Nanjing Forestry University has 2 A+ disciplines and 1 A- discipline. Nanjing Medical University has 1 A+ discipline.
That is to say, there are a total of 5 disciplines with A-class disciplines, of which 3 universities such as Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing Forestry University and Nanjing Medical University have A+ disciplines or A-class disciplines, and 2 universities such as Jiangsu University and Xiangtan University have A-class disciplines or A-class disciplines.
However, 14 "double non-non" universities, including Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Xi'an Jiaotongli Wuqing University, Qingdao University, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Southwest Petroleum University, Guangdong University of Technology, Zhejiang Normal University, Guangzhou University, Southern Medical University, Shantou University, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Wenzhou University, and Chengdu University, do not have Class A disciplines.
4. Why there is such a big gap between the Times Higher Education China University Rankings by Subject Rankings 2024 and the fifth round of subject assessments?
We have seen that in the Times Higher Education China University Rankings by Subject 2024, the 985 engineering universities, which do not have a single A-level subject, have performed well in the fifth round of the national university subject evaluation.
For example, Shandong University has 1 A+ discipline, 4 A disciplines, 14 A- disciplines, and 19 A disciplines. Chinese University has 11 A+ disciplines, 6 A disciplines, 1 A- discipline, and a total of 18 A disciplines.
Jilin University has 2 A+ disciplines, 6 A-disciplines, 9 A-disciplines, and 17 A-disciplines. Central South University has a total of 3 A+ disciplines, 1 A discipline, 11 A- disciplines, and 15 A disciplines.
National University of Defense Technology, with a total of 6 A+ disciplines, 3 A-class disciplines, 5 A-class disciplines, and a total of 14 A-class disciplines. China Agricultural University has a total of 6 A+ disciplines, 4 A-class disciplines, 1 A-class discipline, and a total of 11 A-class disciplines.
Northwest A&F University has 0 A+ disciplines, 1 A-class discipline, 5 A-class disciplines, and a total of 6 A-class disciplines. Lanzhou University has 2 A+ disciplines, 0 A disciplines, 3 A- disciplines, and 5 A disciplines. Ocean University of China has a total of 2 A+ disciplines, 0 A disciplines, 2 A- disciplines, and 4 A disciplines.
The fifth round of subject assessment and the Times Higher Education China University Subject Ratings: Why the gap is so stark?
Before delving into the glaring gap between the fifth round of subject assessments and the Times Higher Education China University Subject Ratings, we first need to understand the characteristics and focus of each of these two assessment systems.
The fifth round of discipline evaluation, as an authoritative evaluation activity led by the Ministry of Education of the mainland, mainly conducts a comprehensive and systematic evaluation of the disciplines of colleges and universities based on the domestic education quality standards and the actual situation of higher education in the mainland. Its evaluation criteria and methods are closer to the domestic education environment, focusing on the teaching, scientific research, social service and other aspects of the discipline, and emphasizing the social responsibility and mission of the discipline.
In contrast, the Times Higher Education China University Subject Ratings adopt more international perspectives and criteria, focusing on the research strength, internationalisation and teaching quality of the subject. This evaluation system pays more attention to the competitiveness of disciplines in the international arena, and its data sources and weight distribution are also in line with international standards.
Because of this, the differences in evaluation perspectives, standards and methods between the two may lead to large gaps in evaluation results. In addition, different evaluation systems emphasize different priorities, which can also make the performance of universities in different evaluation systems very different.
In addition, the results of the assessment may be affected by a variety of factors, such as data sources, sample selection, data processing, etc. For example, some metrics may not fully reflect the actual situation due to the limitations of the data source, or the results may be distorted due to bias in sample selection.
In summary, the gap between the fifth round of subject assessment and the Times Higher Education China University Subject Rating is mainly due to the differences in evaluation perspectives, standards and methods, as well as differences in data sources and processing. This disparity is not absolute, but reflects the advantages and disadvantages of different evaluation systems in terms of different emphasis.
Therefore, when we look at the results of these two assessments, we should conduct a comprehensive analysis based on their respective characteristics and emphases, so as to have a more comprehensive understanding of the actual situation and development trend of higher education in mainland China.