UJ, JUST part of world’s best universities — QS survey

AMMAN — The Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and the University of Jordan (UJ) on Wednesday were listed in the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2018, which assesses the 1,100 best higher education institutions in the world for 48 different subjects and five fields . 

The rankings per subject are compiled annually to help prospective students identify the leading universities in their field using research citations and global surveys of employers and academics, according to the QS World University Ranking website. 

This year’s edition of the ranking features two new subjects in addition to the 46 disciplines assessed in the latest edition, adding Classics and Ancient History and Library and Information Management to the list. 

UJ emerged as one of the top 500 universities in the world in the fields of Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences and Engineering and Technology, while JUST ranked 396 worldwide in the Engineering and Technology area. 

During the presentation of the ranking at the UJ on Thursday, UJ President Azmi Mahafzah highlighted that the university also ranked among the best 300 universities worldwide in pharmacy, the best 350 for mechanical engineering, and the best 500 for medicine and information technology studies. 

“The disciplines in which the university has classified in the ranking have recently received international accreditation from world renowned organisations,” Manager of UJ’s Quality Assurance Centre Faleh Sawair told The Jordan Times, pointing out that the university has achieved “global competitive marks” in a total of 29 disciplines. 

“It is not surprising to see the UJ bearing the name of the homeland,” Sawair continued, stressing that “over 50 per cent of PhD students and more than 25 per cent of the master’s students at our university have been published in international journals”.

“The reputation of the Jordanian education system has attracted students of brotherly countries,” he added, highlighting that students from over 90 nationalities have graduated from the UJ. 

For his part, JUST Quality Assurance Centre Director Mohamad Al Widyan highlighted that “Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering made a 50 point progress from last year to lie in the 301-350th rank, while Electrical Engineering came in the 351-400th range, Medicine on the 401-450th, and Computer Science and Information Systems in the 451-500th”.

He attributed the achievements to “the dedication and commitment of all JUST staff since its establishment back in 1986”.

“Although JUST considers this significant progress as a source of pride, it perceives it as an accomplishment for the Jordanian higher education sector at large, and a step forward to meeting His Majesty’s aspirations for a distinguished world-class higher education,” he added. 

“JUST is working seriously to build on this to make more achievements in its steady march towards its dream of a distinguished world-class university,” Al Widyan concluded.